The Legend of Zelda: Heart of the Cards
by HyruleKing
Summary: Following the strange twist of fate brought upon them by the Crystal Wii Remote, the new Sages of Hyrule decide to explore their new home. However, they soon learn that not only are they now living in Hyrule, but the Duel Monsters card game from the Yu-Gi-Oh anime has become a reality. And they soon discover that the card game is more than just a card game. (Complete)
1. Prologue: Two Sides of Every Coin

**The Legend of Zelda: Heart of the Cards**

 _Last time we left our heroes, the Crystal Wii-mote had transported them all to Hyrule, to the world of CJ's favorite video games. They learned that they had become the Sages of Hyrule, and Stacey learned that she was CJ's wife and the Queen of Hyrule._

 _But while CJ knows that the Crystal Wii-mote made his stories a reality, he is unsure of exactly what became a reality… Little does he know, he's soon going to realize just how much his life has changed… And just how much his friends' lives have changed… Or are about to change…_

 **PROLOGUE: Two Sides of Every Coin**

26-year-old CJ Francis walked outside of Hyrule Castle and looked out over his new home of Castle Town.

 _I can't believe that I'm actually living my stories…_ He thought. It was then that Stacey, Janelle and their mom walked up to the castle gate.

"Hey hun. What's up?" Stacey asked.

"I'm heading out for a walk." CJ said. "We live in Hyrule now. I want to get out and see this country. I want to see how life has changed. I won't be gone too long."

"Okay." Stacey said. "Stay safe. I'll see you when you get back."

Sometime later, CJ was walking through a southwestern Native American style village at the foot of a volcano. It was known as Kakariko Village. CJ walked through the village and came to a graveyard. At the entrance of the graveyard sat a sign that was covered in a language CJ didn't understand, or so he thought. He shocked himself as he sat there and read it.

"Here lie those who swore fealty to the Royal Family, as well as those with the blood of the Royal Family coursing through their veins." CJ read. He walked a bit further, into a fenced off special section of the graveyard, where several graves caught his eye. He looked at each one individually, and memories flooded his mind.

"Saria Francis  
Zorin 9, 1100 - Nayru 19, 1121  
(July 9, 1988 – February 19, 2009)  
Beloved Queen, Daughter, Sister, Wife and Mother-to-Be" The first grave read.

 _What… What's with these memories?_

* * *

 _CJ sat at the edge of a hospital bed in Castle Town, next to an unconscious blonde-haired, pointy-eared young woman. Her abdomen, arms and legs were covered in bandages. Her parents, Patrick and Becky, as well as her brother Ryan were standing behind CJ. Sitting not too far away was CJ's dad._

" _Please, Din…" He prayed. "Help her pull through…" It was then that the doctor walked in._

" _I'm afraid the Gyorg attack is too severe…" He said solemnly. "We don't expect her to survive…"_

" _Doc… What about… the baby? Saria's 7 months pregnant…" CJ asked._

" _I'm sorry… We couldn't save the child…" The doctor said. CJ buried his face in his hands and cried._

* * *

 _The crystal Wii remote must not have just made my stories a reality… It changed the entire history of my life… I know that never actually happened to me… But the wish must have changed that… Maybe that's why my memory is so fuzzy and it's hard to remember life before the Wii remote… My wish is literally rewriting my memories…_ CJ thought.

CJ looked at the three graves next to Saria.

"Ryan Floyd  
Zorin 9, 1100 – Hylia 3, 1122  
(July 9, 1988 – January 3, 2010)  
Beloved Son

Patrick Floyd  
Farore 7, 1084 – Hylia 3, 1122  
(March 7, 1972 – January 3, 2010)  
Beloved Husband, Son & Father

Rebecca Floyd  
Din 24, 1084 – Hylia 3, 1122  
(April 24, 1972 – January 3, 2010)  
Beloved Mother, Daughter & Wife"

 _I wish I could've help you guys… But… I guess I'm glad you're all together with Saria as a family again…_ CJ thought, as a new memory hit him.

* * *

 _CJ rushed up to a house on Outset Island, in the Great Sea, just off of Hyrule's eastern coast. The house was quite fancy and rich-looking, but it was blocked off by crime scene tape. CJ ran over to a nearby officer._

" _What happened here, Officer?" CJ asked. The officer turned to CJ and realizing that he was the King, bowed to him briefly._

" _Well, Your Majesty…" The officer said. "I'm afraid someone broke into the Floyd home. We're not sure what they're motive was, but we were called to the scene because a suspicious person was spotted near the house. When we arrived, we found the front door wide open and the Floyd family dead inside… I'm terribly sorry…"_

 _I'm just glad they caught the guy… Can't believe he killed the Floyds all because he didn't get Patrick's job as Director of HCIS when Pat retired._

* * *

He then walked deeper into the graveyard and came to a special gravestone, bearing the Sheikah symbol: A single eye shedding but a lone tear drop. His eyes watered and he knelt down as he read the gravestone:

"Ralph Francis  
Din 17, 1061 – Nayru 3, 1123  
(April 17, 1949 – February 3, 2011)  
Hylian Air Force  
Beloved Father"

 _Dad… I miss you so much. And I wish things would get easier, but I know that won't happen._ CJ thought. _But I'm living each day to its fullest, and I'll make you proud leading this country, just like you made me proud defending it._

Another memory rushed into his mind. But this one wasn't new. It was nearly the same memory of his dad from before he made his wish. But this time, his family was absent. It was only him and Stacey in the hospital room.

* * *

 _CJ stood in a hospital room with Stacey. Lying in a hospital bed in front of them was a man with dark brown, almost black hair. He was hooked up to various medical devices: ventilator, heart monitor, catheter, and other devices that were essentially sustaining his life._

 _The nurse walked in and CJ looked at her._

" _It's what he would want…" CJ said, struggling to fight back tears. "He's said… on more than one occasion… that this isn't how…" He stopped for a moment and wiped his eyes. "How he would want to live." Stacey wrapped her arm around CJ as he began to cry. He then looked down at his dad, tears in his eyes, constantly trying to fight it._

" _I love you, Dad… I'm sorry I never said it more often… I'm sorry it took me until now to realize it… I'm sorry, Dad… And I love you…"_

 _A few moments later, the nurse turned to CJ, and with a solemn look on her face, said:_

" _I'm sorry." CJ buried his face in Stacey's shoulder and began to sob._

 _So… even in my life in Hyrule, that didn't change…_ CJ thought. _I hope none of the people I care about ever have to suffer through losing a parent._

* * *

He stood up, wiped his eyes, and turned to walk out.

CJ left Kakariko Village and began walking through the fields of southern Hyrule. He soon came to a large stone bridge standing over a vast crystal blue lake. He couldn't help but stop and stare at the beauty of the lake.

"Wow… Lake Hylia is gorgeous in person…" CJ thought aloud. "Not that I expected any less." He looked down at the lake and saw blue humanoid creatures with fins on their arms and legs and mermaid-like tails coming off the backs of their heads. In Hyrule, they were known as Zoras. He continued walking and soon returned to Castle Town. As he walked through South Castle Town, he took in the scenery and looked at all the shops, both buildings and open-air stalls. There was such a wide variety of things to see. A fortune teller, a potter, a blacksmith, fresh fruit and vegetable stands, a bakery stand, and even a stall selling bottle spring water, both hot and cold. And CJ wasn't even surprised by the human-like creature with skin seemingly made of rock that was running the spring water stand. He was familiar with the creatures, as they were from the Legend of Zelda series. He knew them as Gorons.

But one shop in particular caught his eye. It was a game shop. In the window were various types of cards and games, but the window was filled mostly with Yu-Gi-Oh cards. He looked up at the sign which read "Moto Game Shop".

He walked inside and looked around. Standing behind the counter was a young man around CJ's age wearing a blue jacket, jeans, and black watch. He had spiked black hair with red tips and spiked blonde bangs. He was Yugi Moto, main character of the Yu-Gi-Oh anime. It was at that moment that CJ realized that the Yu-Gi-Oh parts of his stories had become a reality as well.

Sitting in a chair next to Yugi was a young woman with blue eyes, brown hair, and wearing a black shirt and pink skirt. She was Tea Moto, Yugi's wife.

Wandering around the card shop were two more young men. The first one had brown eyes, blond hair, and wore a white t-shirt with a blue stripe in the middle, jean shorts, dog tags and green watch. His name: Joey Wheeler. The second had brown eyes and brown hair that was spiked in front, and wore a black t-shirt and jean shorts. His name: Tristan Taylor.

* * *

 _CJ and Yugi stood in Hyrule Castle's courtyard, both wearing strange devices on their arms. The devices were composed of a small platform that had a slot for a deck of cards and a slot for a discard pile. Attached to it was a 'blade' that had five small slots and five platforms, giving it the ability to hold ten cards. The entire device was known as a Duel Disk. Yugi had three monster cards on his Duel Disk and CJ had one._

 _Behind CJ was a hologram of a monster, created by the Duel Disk. The monster was none other than Ganondorf, the King of Evil._

 _Behind Yugi were three monsters. The first was a large muscular blue monster with several horns on its head, spikes on its shoulder, and fierce looking eyes. The second was a long red dragon with two mouths, and the third was a large almost mechanical looking golden dragon. All three creatures had blue gems in their forehead and looked extremely fierce._

" _Well, CJ… You fought a good fight, but in the end, your King of Evil didn't have enough strength to stand up to my Egyptian god cards!" Yugi said. "Slifer! Ra! Obelisk! Infuse your powers and wipe out the King of Evil!" It was then that the two dragons vanished and their energies were absorbed by the blue creature, who grew more muscular and glowed with a mighty power, before unleashing his energy, destroying the King of Evil, and ending the duel. Both players Duel Disks then compressed into a small watch on their wrist, known simply as a Duel Watch._

* * *

"Hey Yugi." CJ said.

"Hey CJ." Yugi said. "What's up?"

"Just going for a walk, wanted to drop in and say hi." CJ said. "Anything new?"

"I guess Kaiba's doing something big… We just got an extra shipment of Duel Watches, on top of our usual shipment." Yugi said.

"Maybe he's prepping for a tournament." CJ said.

"You think?" Yugi asked.

"I can hope." CJ said. "I want another shot at your title."

"Dude... You know you'd have to take the Hero of Time from Stacey AND the Princess of Destiny from Layla to have a chance against my Egyptian god cards." Yugi said.

CJ laughed. "As if. I made some changes to my deck, and I know I'll beat you next time we duel."

"Well, if Kaiba's throwing a tournament, you might just get that chance." Yugi said.

"I hope so." CJ said. "But hey, I gotta go. I'll catch you later!" With that, he walked out.

 _This is weird… I have so many memories of living in Hyrule… But… that's not possible._ CJ thought. _Unless… What if the wish made it so that we've been living in Hyrule all our lives? That would explain my memories!_

He soon returned to Hyrule Castle and looked around his bedroom for a box labeled "Important Memories and Stuff".

"That's what I'm looking for." He said to himself as he fished through the box and found a few pieces of paper. He looked at them one by one.

"Yeah… According to my birth certificate, I was born in Gerudo Valley…" He thought aloud. "Just like my stories said… And here's me and Saria's marriage certificate, dated Zorin 9, 1119 (July 9, 2007). And here's me and Stacey's marriage certificate, dated Zorin 23, 1125 (July 23, 2013)… Three years after we started dating…"

It was then that CJ's phone rang.

"Hello?" CJ answered.

" _CJ! Help! The house is on fire!"_

"Shay?!"

 _"Come quick! Please!"_ Shaylene exclaimed from the other end. CJ could hear the panic and fear in her voice.

"I'm on my way!" CJ said.

 _ **A few minutes later…**_

CJ rushed down a street in East Castle Town and he soon came to a three-story tan house, fully engulfed in flames. The area was blocked off by police tape and firefighters were blasting the fierce flames with water.

"CJ!" CJ turned and saw Shaylene and Jennette standing near the crowd. Shaylene ran over and wrapped her arms around CJ, who returned the embrace and held her close. Jennette quickly walked over as well.

"Shay… I'm glad you're okay. You too, Jennette." CJ said. "Where are you parents and your brother?"

"That's the thing." Jennette said, trying to cover the fear and pain in her voice. "We're not sure."

"We went out for a walk and when we came back, the house was fully engulfed." Shaylene said, trying not to cry.

"Stay here with your sister for a second, Shay." CJ said. He walked away from the girls and over to a nearby police officer, who was working on crowd control.

"Sir, you need to stand b- Oh… Your Majesty, what can I do for you?" The officer asked.

"Do you know if anyone was inside the house when the fire started?" CJ asked. "Those two girls over there live here with their parents and older brother." He motioned to Shay and Jennette.

"How old are they?" The officer asked.

"The oldest one is 22, the younger one will be 17 next month." CJ said.

"They… may want to hear this…" The officer said, a solemn tone in his voice. CJ had a bad feeling of what was coming next. He waved the girls over.

"Where are Mom and Dad?" Shaylene asked. "And Steven? Is everyone okay?" CJ put his arm around Shaylene and pulled her close.

"When we arrived, the house was fully engulfed in flames." The officer said. "We believe the fire may have been burning for some time already… Firefighters went in to search the house. Three victims were pulled from the blaze, but I'm sorry to say…"

"No… please don't…" Jennette said, her eyes beginning to water.

"I'm sorry to inform you that all three were pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics…" The officer said.

"M-mommy… D-daddy…" Shaylene buried her face in CJ's chest and cried. CJ wrapped his arms around her, hoping to comfort her. Jennette tried to hold it together for her sister, but couldn't, and broke down in tears as well.

"Why? Why Mom and Dad? Why Steven?" Jennette sobbed. CJ extended an arm and pulled Jennette into the embrace as well, trying to do his best to comfort the girls.

 _ **A few days later…**_

CJ, Shaylene and Jennette walked into the fenced off section of Kakariko Graveyard, where three new graves now stood. Shaylene and Jennette knelt down in front of them and both began to cry. The three graves read:

"Dave Johnson  
Din 4, 1072 – Dinrudo 19, 1126  
(April 4, 1960 - June 19, 2014)  
Beloved father and husband

Brenda Johnson  
Dekuri 24, 1074 - Dinrudo 19, 1126  
(August 24, 1962 – June 19, 2014)  
Beloved mother and wife

Steven Johnson  
Dinrudo 22, 1099 - Dinrudo 19, 1126  
(June 22, 1987 – June 19, 2014)  
Beloved son"

CJ stood there and placed his hands on the girls' shoulders, unsure of what to do. He knew what it was like to lose a parent, but they hadn't just lost their parents, they had lost their home, lost everything.

"What do we do now?" Shaylene asked in between tears.

"How do you do it, CJ?" Jennette asked.

"It's not easy." CJ said. "I just have to take things one day at a time. But having friends and family to support me is a big help."

"Are we part of those friends and family?" Shaylene asked, wiping her eyes, as she and Jennette stood up.

"Duh." CJ said, wrapping his arms around the girls. "I love you girls. You're like family to me. And listen, you guys are more than welcome to come live at the castle with me and Stacey."

"Thanks." Jennette said. She and Shaylene looked down at their family's graves.

"Love you Mommy…" Shaylene said. "Love you, Daddy… Love you, bro…"

"We miss you guys." Jennette said. The three then turned and walked out of the graveyard, CJ's arms still around the girls.


	2. The Hunt Begins

**CHAPTER ONE: The Hunt Begins**

A few weeks later, CJ, Stacey, Shaylene and Jennette were hanging out in a large room in Hyrule Castle. CJ and Stacey stood next to each other and Shaylene and Jennette stood next to each other. The two pairs stood across from each other on opposite sides of the room and all were wearing their Duel Disks. All four duelists had a monster identical to themselves on the field.

"All right, girls... See if you can stand up to my Sage of Water (ATK: 3200)." Stacey said (LP: 350)

"And my Sage of Shadow (ATK: 3200)." CJ said (LP: 500).

"Gladly." Shaylene said (LP: 150). "I equip my Sage of Light (ATK: 2750) with Light Medallion, giving me an 800 point boost (ATK: 3550)!"

"And I equip my Sage of Shadow (ATK: 3200)..." Jennette said (LP: 400), "...with Spirit Medallion for a 500 point boost (ATK: 3700)!"

"Now, Sage of Light, attack Stacey's Sage of Water!" Shaylene exclaimed.

"And Sage of Spirit, attack CJ's Sage of Shadow!" Jennette called out.

"I activate my face down card: Mystical Space Typhoon!" Stacey said. "This will destroy your Light Medallion, and lower your attack points back to their original 2750!" Shaylene gasped as her monster lost her power boost. "Now, I'll counter attack!" Stacey's Sage swung her sword, slicing Shaylene's monster in half (LP: 0).

"And I never leave home without my trusty Battle of the Stealthy trap card!" CJ said. "Since you declared an attack on my Sheikah Sage of Shadow, I can negate your attack and summon a new Sheikah from my deck... Sheikah Siren (ATK: 1100)!" CJ said, summoning a purple-haired girl in a revealing black outfit similar to that of Hyrule's desert people, the Gerudo.

"I end my turn." Jennette said.

CJ looked at Stacey.

"I've got this." He said. "Since I control a Sheikah other than my Sheikah Siren, she's allowed to attack you directly."

"Wait what?" Jennette stood there shocked as the Siren jumped over her monster and threw a set of darts at her (LP: 0).

"Nice duel, girls." CJ said.

"Thanks." Shaylene said. "That was close. We almost had you beat."

"Almost." Stacey said.

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

A brown-haired, blue-eyed young man sat in a tall office building in Castle Town. On a computer screen in front of him were various duelists, along with star ratings and the duelists' rarest cards. He pressed a button on the computer, and it showed CJ, Stacey and Layla along with the three Duel Monsters cards each bearing a different picture: One of Ganondorf, one of Zelda and one of Link.

"I need to find a way to get those cards from those three…" The young man said. A young man about the age of 21 with shoulder length spiked black hair in a yellow t-shirt and jeans walked in.

"Seto, what about another tournament?" The boy asked.

"Sounds like a good idea, Mokuba." The young man, Seto Kaiba, said to his younger brother, Mokuba. "A Battle City-Duelist Kingdom mix… I'll call it the Triforce Cup. The freedom of running around Hyrule to duel with Duel Disks, but the added fun of field power bonuses…"

"Though I do have to ask... Why do you want the Triforce Destiny Cards anyway?" Mokuba asked.

"Pride Mokuba." Kaiba said. "I know it's stupid, but I still can't get over my loss to Yugi..."

* * *

" _Did you finally lose hope and decide to pull any pathetic card?" Kaiba laughed._

" _Not quite, I have my hope right here!" Yugi said, brimming with confidence. "The card I pulled is... Exodia the Forbidden One!"_

 _"What the-?" Kaiba gasped._

 _"I've assembled all the five needed cards!" Yugi said, as the legendary creature assembled itself on the field. "All five pieces of the puzzle!"_

 _"No way! It's Exodia! You're saying you've performed a miracle?!" Kaiba exclaimed in shock._

" _Hellfire's Rage! Exodo Flame!" Yugi commanded. Kaiba stood there helplessly as his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons were eliminated and his life points were depleted._

* * *

"I still can't believe he pulled Exodia..." Kaiba said. "He pulled the one and only way he could've stood up to my three Blue-Eyes White Dragons... And then when I almost lost to Ishizu, even with Obelisk the Tormentor in my deck..."

"But you still beat Ishizu, Seto." Mokuba said.

"Yes, Mokuba. But if I had ignored that strange vision of the past and continued to attack with Obelisk rather than sacrifice it for Blue-Eyes, I would have lost." Kaiba said. "And in the end, I still lost to Yugi and Slifer the Sky Dragon..."

"Seto, maybe it means you aren't supposed to try to control any cards stronger than your three Blue-Eyes White Dragons..." Mokuba said. "I mean, that's been your favorite card since we were taken in by Gozaburo..."

"I know, Moki." Kaiba said. "But, I just... I guess my pride just wants to win back my title as the world's greatest duelist back from Yugi."

 _ **A few days later...**_

CJ walked out of a small house in Kakariko Village. Stacey wasn't too far away, sitting on the edge of a large spring, known as the Spirit Spring of Eldin.

In front of the house, Jennette had built a makeshift soccer goal and Shaylene was running toward her, trying to kick a soccer ball into the goal. Shaylene kicked the ball and Jennette jumped up, blocking the shot.

"Come on, little sis. Try a little bit harder." Jennette said. CJ looked in the mailbox and saw an envelope stamped with the seal of Kaiba Corporation. He took it out and read the enclosed letter.

" _CJ, Stacey, Jennette and Shaylene,_

 _You are hereby invited to participate in my newest tournament, the Triforce Cup. It will begin this Friday at noon in Castle Town. Included in the letter is a rule book for each of you. Study the rules carefully and make sure to stop by the KaibaCorp registration center in Castle Town to register before Thursday afternoon. When you register, you'll receive your Locator Card and your Duel Watch will be scanned for registration purposes._

 _Seto Kaiba"_

"Hey guys! Kaiba's holding a Duel Monsters tournament! And we're all invited!" CJ shouted. His pone then rang.

" _Hey, CJ, did you get invited to Kaiba's newest tournament?"_ Yugi asked from the other line.

"Yup." CJ said. "Stacey, Jennette and Shaylene did too. Wanna meet us at the registration center in about a half hour? Might as well get that out of the way."

" _Sure. Sounds like a plan."_ Yugi said.

"Cool." CJ said. "See you there."

A short time later, CJ, the girls, Yugi and his friends were gathered outside a small card shop-like building in West Castle Town.

"I can't believe how much Kaiba's changed over the years!" Joey said. "He's even inviting me to tournaments now! I'm glad he's finally acknowledging that I'm a good duelist!"

"He's really changed since Yugi's duel with Yami... Oops... I mean Atem." CJ said. "8 years, and I'm still not used to that." The gang then walked into the registration center.

"Hi, we're here to register for the Triforce Cup." Stacey said.

"Ah, Queen Stacey and King CJ." The KC Employee said. "Yes, you two qualify." He then handed CJ and Stacey each a Locator Card, before scanning their Duel Watches with a small scanner device located next to his computer.

"What about us?" Shaylene asked. "Shaylene and Jennette Johnson."

"The Sages of Light and Spirit..." The employee said, typing something into his computer. "Ah, Mr. Kaiba has ranked both of you at three and a half stars. Not bad."

"So... Kaiba has a ranking system just like in Battle City..." Yugi said.

"Yes... Mr. Kaiba has compiled a database on every major duelist in the world, including a rank of his choosing and the rarest card they've ever played in a duel." The employee said. "You're Yugi Moto. 5 Stars, and your rarest card is the Winged Dragon of Ra. You qualify." He then handed Shaylene, Jennette and Yugi each a Locator Card before scanning their Duel Watches.

"What about me?" Joey asked. "Joey Wheeler."

"Just a moment..." The employee entered Joey's name into the computer and a screen popped up showing Joey, along with Red-Eyes and a rank of three and a half stars. "Ah yes, you qualify." He then handed Joey a Locator Card and scanned his Duel Watch. Everyone then headed outside.

"So it looks like the rules are the same as Battle City." Yugi said. "Speaking of Battle City, what happened to you, CJ? I heard you were in the tournament but I never saw you."

"Rare Hunters happened to me." CJ said. "Lost a Dark Magician because of them... But with no Rare Hunters to worry about this time, you'd better watch out."

"I guess we'll just see what the tournament brings." Yugi said. "But I gotta get going. I'll catch you later."

"See ya." CJ said, as the group went their separate ways. Meanwhile, inside the registration center, the employee pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Master, Yugi Moto and the duelists with the Destiny Cards just left." The employee said.

 _ **A few days later...**_

Yugi, CJ and their friends stood in Castle Town Square. Other duelists lined the area, anxiously awaiting Seto Kaiba's appearance.

"Wow... this looks like Battle City all over again..." Yugi said, looking at a blue haired boy about his age dressed in shorts, a green shirt with a beetle on it, and gold glasses. "There's Weevil Underwood."

Joey then looked over at a brown haired boy about the same age, in a green shirt, tan vest, jeans and red hat. "And that's Rex Raptor."

CJ then looked over at a tanned, young man, about the age of 26 or 27, with spiked black hair, a blue tank top, blue shorts and a blue headband with white markings that resembled waves. "And there's Mako Tsunami." It was then that a blond-haired, purple-eyed woman about the age of 28 in a white tube top, purple jacket, skirt and boots walked over.

"Hey Mai." Tea said. "I see you're here."

"I figured you guys would be meeting up here in the square." The woman, Mai Valentine, said. She then looked over at a young man with shoulder length blue-green hair in a pink shirt with a couple of zigzag black stripes across the chest. "There's Espa Roba, the ESP duelist."

"And I would assume there are other duelists scattered around the city, and possibly around the rest of Hyrule." CJ said. "But where is Kaiba?" Kaiba flew overhead in his blimp. A TV screen on it lit up to show Kaiba's face.

"Greeting duelists, welcome to the Triforce Cup." Kaiba said.

"That sounds like Kaiba." Rex said.

"Where is he?" Mako asked.

"Kaiba?" Weevil wondered.

"Where is his voice coming from?" Mai asked.

"There he is!" CJ said, pointing up at Kaiba's blimp.

"It's time to put your dueling skills to the test. I hope none of you entered my tournament looking for friendly competition. The Triforce Cup's gonna be an all-out war. Before my Triforce Cup tournament begins, I thought I'd let you all know what you're in for, in case you wanna back out now. First, let's talk about the most important rule. The loser of the duel is forced to hand over their rarest card to the winner. If you don't want to risk your precious cards, then I suggest you forfeit now." Kaiba said.

"Bring it on, Kaiba!" Rex shouted.

"So, the more duels I win, the more rare cards I acquire for my deck..." Weevil said.

"By the seven seas, I accept your challenge!" Mako exclaimed.

"Just like Battle City..." Mai said.

"And, anyone who's foolish enough can challenge me to a duel, because I'll also be competing in this tournament." Kaiba added.

"I expected as much." Yugi said.

"But don't get your hopes up, because I intend to win, and there are four duelists out there I can't wait to defeat." Kaiba added.

"You're on, Kaiba!" Yugi and CJ exclaimed. CJ then looked at Stacey.

 _He must be after the Triforce Destiny Cards…_ CJ thought. _He probably wants to use the Destiny Cards to go after Yugi's god cards... Or his title..._

"Speaking of winning, only the eight best duelists will make it to the final round. And these finals will be held in a hidden location."

"Then how do we get there?" Rex wondered.

"No one will show up if the location's hidden!" Mako said.

"In order to find the finals, you'll need these locator cards. You've each received one, but don't get too excited, because one's not enough. You'll need eight to make it to the finals. When eight are stacked together, they make a map of Hyrule revealing the location to you. But the tournament finals are a long time away, and most of you will be eliminated long before that. Okay, everything I just said and more can be found in my tournament rule book. Remember, only one duelist can win and claim the title of number one duelist in the world."

"And that'll be me." Mai said.

"That'll be me!" Mako, Weevil and Rex exclaimed.

"There's no way I'm losing my Hero of Time." Stacey said.

"If I have anything to do with it, you will." CJ smiled.

"One last thing… Special Duel Transmitters have been set up all around Hyrule. In certain areas of Hyrule, much like in Duelist Kingdom, certain monsters will gain Field Power Bonuses." Kaiba said. "You'll find teleporter booths in every area of Hyrule that will allow you to move from area to area much faster than walking."

"I better head up to Zora's Domain to boost my water monsters." Stacey said.

"Kakariko Graveyard would probably power up my Dark monsters…" CJ said.

"I'm guessing Gerudo Desert would be the best place for me?" Jennette asked.

"Yeah." CJ said. "Shay, I'm not sure how the field power bonuses are set up. If they're as specific as I'd like to think, you should be okay dueling at any of the Spirit Springs... Eldin Spring, Lanayru Spring, Faron Spring or Ordon Spring, since your deck is primarily made up of Fairy monsters."

"What about the rest of us?" Alex asked.

"Well Alex, you have an Ancient Gear deck right?" CJ asked.

"Yeah." Alex said.

"Well... Your machines would probably have an advantage near the old Lanayru Mining Facility, not too far north of Gerudo Desert." CJ said. "Dayan, your monsters will gain a boost in the Peak Province... But I'm not sure how many duelists you'll find in either of those parts of Hyrule. Danielle, you should be fine in the forests. Aubrey, I'd stick to Hyrule Field for your winged beasts and wind monsters."

"Now, get ready duelists... Let the tournament begin!" Kaiba said. Everyone cheered.

"Good luck, Yugi." CJ said. "I hope we meet up in the finals." With that, the group set off and went their separate ways.


	3. Soaking the ESP Duelist

**CHAPTER TWO: Soaking the ESP Duelist**

Stacey walked through West Castle Town, thumbing through her deck.

"I guess I should head to Zora's Domain." She said to herself. "My Water monsters would likely get a boost there..." _Speaking of my deck, it's gonna take a while getting used to these new cards... Heck, getting used to this whole new life is weird..._

"Stacey Francis?" A new voice asked. "The Queen of Hyrule?" Stacey turned and faced the voice.

"Espa Roba?" Stacey asked, looking at the person standing before her.

"I would like the honor of facing you in a duel." Espa Roba said.

"Sure." Stacey said. "I'll gladly accept your challenge. I'll go first by activating the Lake Floria field spell!" The area around Stacey and Espa then changed to a gorgeous crystal clear lake inside an indigo-colored rock cavern. "Now, all my Water monsters gain a 500 point boost. Next, I summon Parella, Guardian of Faron (ATK: 2300)." A small aquatic creature appeared on the field. It was blue and tan in color, had a head similar to a squid, and a body similar to a jellyfish. "Now, thanks to Parella's ability, I can pay 500 Life Points (LP: 4000 – 500) to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Water monster from my deck, other than Parella, Guardian of Faron, so I'll choose Blue ChuChu (ATK: 2000)." Then, a blue gelatinous creature appeared on the field. "Finally, I lay a card face down and end my turn."

"I lay a monster in defense mode and a card face down." Espa said. "Go."

"First, my Lake Floria gains an Aqua Counter (AC: 1). Next, I sacrifice Blue ChuChu to summon Prince Ralis (ATK: 2500)." Stacey said, summoning a royal looking Zora. "And when he's summoned, I can equip him with Coral Earring from my deck. However, I'm not allowed to activate the effect of Coral Earring this turn. Parella, attack that defense monster!" Espa watched as his defense was destroyed. "Ralis, go in for the direct attack!"

"Oh no!" Espa was thrown onto his back as Ralis rushed into and tackled him (LP: 4000 – 2500).

"Your move." Stacey said.

"I play Brain Control to take Ralis..." Espa said (LP: 1500 – 800), taking control of Stacey's monster. "...Who I'll then sacrifice for Jinzo (ATK: 2400)!" Stacey watched as a humanoid monster appeared on the field. It was bald, wore a dark green, near black robe, covered in machines and wore a mechanical face mask and red goggles. "Next, I equip Jinzo with Amplifier! Now, Jinzo's ability to negate traps doesn't affect me! Jinzo! Attack Parella!"

 _Uh oh... My Negate Attack is useless!_ Stacey thought. She couldn't do anything but stand back as her monster was wiped out (LP: 3500 – 100).

"Your move." Espa said.

"I lay a monster in defense mode." Stacey said. "And my Lake gains another counter (AC: 2)."

"Jinzo, wipe out that defense! Cyber Shockwave!" Espa commanded, as Jinzo launched an energy blast, destroying Stacey's face down Blue ChuChu. "That's it for me."

"I lay a monster in defense mode and add another counter to my Lake (AC: 3)." Stacey said. "Go." _As long as I can build enough counters on my field spell, I should be able to get out of this._ Stacey thought.

"Jinzo! Attack!" Espa commanded. "You're going to have to try to attack eventually."

"I'll find a way around that Jinzo soon. Don't worry." Stacey smirked.

"Your move." Espa said.

"First, my Lake gets another Aqua Counter (AC: 4)." Stacey said. "Next, I summon Parella, Guardian of Faron (DEF: 1100) and use its ability (LP: 3400 – 500) to summon Froak, Exploding Puffer (DEF: 800)." Then, a new Parella appeared on the field, followed by a blue creature resembling a puffer fish. "Go."

"Jinzo, attack Parella!" Espa said. Stacey watched as her monster was blown apart. "Go."

 _If he attacks Froak next turn, it'll destroy his Jinzo._ Stacey thought. _But I should fortify my defenses anyway._ "I play Graceful Charity to draw three cards, provided I discard two. Next, I summon my third Parella, Guardian of Faron (DEF: 1100) and use its effect (LP: 2900 – 500) to summon Blue ChuChu (DEF: 1000)." Stacey said, as her field spell gained another counter (AC: 5). "Your move."

"I equip Jinzo with Malevolent Nuzzler (ATK: 3100)." Espa said. "Jinzo, attack Blue ChuChu! Your move."

"I activate Parella's ability (LP: 2400 – 500) to summon Froak, Exploding Puffer (DEF: 800)." Stacey said (AC: 6). "Your move."

"I equip Jinzo with Black Pendant (ATK: 3600)." Espa said. "Attack Parella!" Stacey watched as her Parella was destroyed, leaving only her two puffer fish. "Go."

"I lay a card face down." Stacey said. "And my Lake Floria gains another counter (AC: 7). Your move."

"Jinzo! Attack Froak!" Espa exclaimed. Stacey smirked as her puffer exploded, shooting needles into Jinzo, which caused it to be destroyed. "What happened to Jinzo?"

"My Froak's ability." Stacey said. "When Froak is destroyed, the monster that destroyed it is also destroyed."

"Well Jinzo was equipped with Black Pendant... And when Black Pendant is destroyed, my opponent takes 500 points of damage." Espa said.

"I'm still in this duel." Stacey said (LP: 1900 – 500).

"I summon Reflect Bounder (ATK: 1700)!" Espa Roba said, summoning a monster covered in mirrors. "And whoever attacks this monster takes all the damage instead of me! Your move."

 _So... I need to destroy that monster without attacking it... And I can't expect him to destroy my Froak..._ Stacey thought, drawing a card. "First, my Lake gains another Aqua Counter (AC: 8)..."

"Activate Dust Tornado!" Espa said. "Time to get rid of your field spell!"

"Thanks!" Stacey said. "By destroying my field spell, you've allowed me to search my deck and Special Summon a Water monster with a level equal to or lower than the number of Aqua Counters on my Lake... And I count 8. So, I'm allowed to Special Summon a Level 8 or lower Water monster... And I just happen to have a trusted Water monster..." She then stepped forward onto the field. "I summon Stacey, Sage to the Water Temple (ATK: 2700)! And, I gain 500 attack points for each 'Zora' card in my graveyard... And I count 1 (ATK: 3200). Next, I switch Froak to attack mode (ATK: 1600)."

"Did you forget my Reflect Bounder's effect?" Espa asked.

"Not at all." Stacey said. "Froak, attack Reflect Bounder! Froak may be destroyed, and I may lose 100 Life Points, but Froak's effect will take out Reflect Bounder, leaving me free to attack your Life Points!"

"Not quite!" Espa said. "Activate Mirror Force!"

"Oh no!" Stacey gasped as her monsters were wiped out. "I... end my turn."

"I lay two cards face down." Espa said. "Reflect Bounder, attack Stacey directly! End this duel!"

"Activate Negate Attack!" Stacey called out.

"I end my turn." Espa said.

"I summon The Dragon Dwelling in the Deep (ATK: 1700)." Stacey said, summoning a large blue dragon. "Next, I lay a card face down. Go."

"I lay a monster in defense mode." Espa said. "Go."

"I activate Premature Burial (LP: 1400 – 800) to revive myself... Stacey, Sage to the Water Temple (ATK: 3200)!" Stacey said, stepping forward again. She extended her hand as if she was grasping a sword, and a glowing sword appeared as if from nowhere. "Next, I equip myself with Sacred Blade of the Fallen Sage (ATK: 4200)! Dragon Dwelling in the Deep, attack Reflect Bounder!" Espa watched as his Bounder was destroyed. "Sure, I take the damage (LP: 600 – 100) but it's not a big deal. Now, I'll deal with your defense!" Stacey then sliced Espa's defense in half, destroying it. "Go."

"Since you have two more monsters than I do, I can summon this monster without Tributes... The Fiend Megacyber (ATK: 2200)!" Espa said, summoning a golden armored warrior. "Attack Dragon Dwelling in the Deep and end this duel!" Stacey watched as her monster was exploded and smoke filled the area. When the smoke died down, Stacey was still standing (LP: 1500). "What?! You should've lost!"

"My trap saved me: Life Shroom!" Stacey said. "When my Life Points are reduced to zero, this trap automatically saves me from losing, and restores my Life Points to 1500."

"I... end my turn." Espa said.

"I attack Fiend Megacyber!" Stacey said, rushing forward and slashing Espa's monster. Espa sighed and held out a pair of cards as the holograms faded (LP: 0).

"That was quite a duel." Espa said. "Here. My Locator Card and my rarest card... Jinzo."

Stacey took the cards and smiled. "Thank you." It was then that four younger boys came running over, all nearly identical to Espa.

"Big brother... Are you out of the tournament?" One of them asked.

"Sadly, yes." Espa said. "But I fought my hardest and I played fair, so I'm happy."

"We're so proud of you, Espa." One of Espa's brothers said.

"Espa... Keep your Jinzo." Stacey said, holding out Espa's card.

"Are you sure?" Espa asked. "You did win it fair and square..."

"I know I did." Stacey said. "But I have no use for it. Not in a deck full of Water monsters. Besides... You already lost one Jinzo. I can't imagine the work it must have taken to get your hands on a second one."

"Thank you." Espa said. "And good luck to you in the rest of the tournament." Espa held out his hand. Stacey smiled, extended her hand, and the two exchanged a friendly handshake before heading their separate ways; Espa headed back into town and Stacey walked out toward Hyrule Field.

 _2 Locator Cards... 6 more to go and I'll be in the finals._ Stacey thought. Meanwhile, a man in a hooded purple robe stood atop a cliff in the fields, observing Stacey as she exited Castle Town. He pressed his finger to an small earpiece headset and spoke into it.

"Master, the girl with the Hero of Time just left Castle Town." He said.

" _She's likely headed for the Zora's Domain, where her monsters will gain a Field Power Bonus."_ A voice said from the other line. _"Stop her before she gets there."_

"Yes Master."

" _Now, if you'll excuse me, Seeker... I have business to handle."_

 _ **Meanwhile...**_

Dayan walked along a pool of water and soon came to a small cavern. He walked through the cavern and soon came to a snowy mountain.

"CJ might be right... I probably won't find many duelists here..." He said to himself.

It was then that a Zora in winter clothing walked up to him.

"Sage of Ice?" The Zora asked. "I'd like to duel you."

"Ok, you're on!" Dayan said. He then reached into the deck box attached to his waist and pulled out his deck. He stopped when he saw a monster card. Instead of the normal yellow or orange color, the card was white.

 _Wait... I still have my Synchros?_ Dayan wondered. _But... Synchros didn't exist in the Yu-Gi-Oh anime until Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's... I guess when the Crystal Wii Remote made CJ's stories a reality, it must have made Duel Monsters mirror the current state of the Yu-Gi-Oh card game..._

 _ **In Southern Hyrule...**_

Danielle walked through the forests of Hyrule, deck in hand.

"I gotta find someone to duel soon." Danielle said. It was then that a blond-haired, blue-eyed young girl about 10 or 11, dressed in a green tunic and shorts approached Danielle.

"Sage of the Forest..." The girl said. "I challenge you!"

"All right, let's duel!"

 _ **In Kakariko Village...**_

CJ stood on the edge of Eldin Spring, looking out at the crystal clear spring water. He slipped off his sandals and stepped forward, letting his bare feet soak in the sacred spirit spring. He closed his eyes as he felt his mind and body being healed by the sacred waters.

"Golden goddesses of Hyrule... Please... Protect my friends during this tournament... Let no evil befall us..." He prayed.

Standing nearby, watching him, was a golden-eyed young man about 16 or 17 with spiked crimson hair.

 _The King of Hyrule..._ The young man thought.


	4. Underestimating Underwood

**CHAPTER THREE: Underestimating Underwood**

Jennette walked out of Castle Town, eager for her first duel.

"It's so weird actually walking through Castle Town." Jennette said to herself. It was that someone ran past her, knocking her to the ground and scattering her cards. "Watch where you're going!" She shouted, as she began to pick up her cards. When she had finished, she realized several of her cards, including her Sage card, were missing. "Hey! Get back here you thief!" She began chasing after the card thief as fast as she could, through West Hyrule Field. As she got closer, she noticed the thief's blue-green bowl cut hair.

 _Wait a minute... Isn't that?_ She thought. "Give me back my cards, Weevil, you coward!" It was then that the thief disappeared into a teleporter. Jennette followed him quickly and she soon found herself in a small forest clearing surrounded by four large log tunnels. She ran through one of the tunnels and found herself in another area identical to the last. _The Lost Woods..._ She focused for a moment and ran through another tunnel. She soon found herself in a small clearing. Ahead of her was a wall with a open steel gate, leading to a shrub maze, and beyond that, stairs leading to a temple courtyard. She navigated her way through the maze, climbed the stairs and as she reached the temple, she heard a sinister chuckle.

"Welcome to my lair, said the Skulltula to the fairy..." Jennette looked up to the Forest Temple's entrance and saw Weevil.

"Weevil, you scum! Give me back my cards!" Jennette said.

"Gimme gimme never gets." Weevil said with a sinister smirk. His screechy high-pitched voice made Jennette's skin crawl. That, and his bug-like personality.

"Fine! I'll squash you like the bug you are! And when I do, you'll give me my cards back!" Jennette said, activating her Duel Disk.

Weevil smirked and activating his Duel Disk as well. "I'll start! I summon Chainsaw Insect (ATK: 3120) and equip it with Invigoration (ATK: 3520)! Your move." Weevil said, summoning a bug with chainsaws for pincers.

 _Damn... 3500 Attack Points on the first move? This is gonna be a tough duel to win._ Jennette thought. "I activate the field spell, Gerudo's Fortress! Not only will this get rid of your Insect's field power bonus (ATK: 2800), but this spell will also give my Gerudo monsters a boost."

"Your what monsters?" Weevil asked.

"My Gerudo monsters... Like this one, Dark Gerudo Swordswoman (ATK: 1900). And my field spell gives her an extra 500 points (ATK: 2400)." Jennette said, summoning a Gerudo in red clothing, carrying two swords. "Next, I use Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Invigoration, which brings your Chainsaw Insect back down to its original 2400 points, so our monsters will match each other in battle point for point! Now, Dark Gerudo Swordswoman, attack Chainsaw Insect!"

"Ugh... Chainsaw Insect's effect allows you to draw a card." Weevil said.

"I'll end my turn by placing two cards face down." Jennette said.

"I summon Petit Moth (DEF: 200) and equip it with Cocoon of Evolution!" Weevil said, summoning a green caterpillar that soon became wrapped in a silky pink cocoon. "Now, my Petit Moth's attack and defense become equal to Cocoon of Evolution (DEF: 2000). Next, I equip my moth with Invigoration and Laser Cannon Armor (DEF: 2500)! Your move."

"I summon Gerudo Warrior (ATK: 2100)." Jennette said, summoning a Gerudo in pink clothing, garbed in a leather belt and carrying a sword and shield. "And I'll place one card face down. Go."

"I lay a card face down." Weevil said. "Four more turns, and my Cocoon will evolve into my ultimate creature! Your move."

"I summon Dark Gerudo Guard (ATK: 2200)." Jennette said, summoning a short-haired Gerudo in white pants, a purple tube top and a white vest. "Your move."

"Time is counting down..." Weevil said. "Before long, you'll be staring down my ultimate monster!"

"I'll easily find something that will destroy your Cocoon before it hatches!" Jennette said. "Just wait and see!"

"If you're so confident, I'll do you the luxury of passing my turn." Weevil said. "Three more turns..."

 _ **Meanwhile...**_

Dayan stood at the base of the mountain with the Zora, Duel Disks active. The Zora (LP: 3250) had a monster face-down and two face-down spell or trap cards. Dayan (LP: 2100) had a face-down spell or trap and two monsters: a blonde-haired male ninja in purple clothing (ATK: 1560) and a samurai in icy blue armor (ATK: 2340).

"I reveal my Cyber Jar!" The Zora said. "Now, my Cyber Jar and your Ice Barrier monsters are destroyed! Next we pick up 5 cards and Special Summon any monsters we draw... And I drew Alpha the Magnet Warrior (ATK: 1400), Beta the Magnet Warrior (ATK: 1700) and Gamma the Magnet Warrior (ATK: 1500)!" Then, three creature made of magnets appeared on the field: one silver, one yellow and one pink.

"I got Defender of the Ice Barrier (ATK: 260), Prior of the Ice Barrier (ATK: 1300) and Strategist of the Ice Barrier (ATK: 2080)." Dayan said, summoning a red fox in armor with an icy tail, a bearded man in a white robe and blue-hooded shawl, and an older warrior in a blue robe and conical hat.

It was then that the Zora's magnet creatures broke apart and combined together. "Now, I'll combine the three together and create Valkyrion the Magna Warrior (ATK: 3500)!"

 _ **Back at the Forest Temple...**_

"It's my move now!" Jennette said, drawing a card. "I summon Gerudo Soldier (ATK: 2100)!" Then, a Gerudo in crimson clothing and white arm bandages, carrying two scimitars appeared on the field. "Your move."

Weevil simply laughed. "My Cocoon is really holding you back, isn't it?" Weevil asked. "In that case, I'll simply pass this turn. Two more turns and my ultimate insect will be unleashed..."

 _I've got to do something about that moth... But I don't have anything strong enough to defeat it..._ Jennette thought as she reached for her deck. _And that won't help..._

"I pass my turn." Jennette said.

"I don't need to do anything." Weevil said. "So I'll pass as well. One more turn..."

"Crap... I can't do anything..." Jennette said. "Go."

"I place one card face down." Weevil said. "Next turn, my ultimate monster will arise from its cocoon and destroy you..."

 _I have to make this move count..._ Jennette thought. "I... switch all my monsters to defense mode (DEF: 500) (DEF: 1700) (DEF: 1800) (DEF: 1900). Go."

 _ **Meanwhile, back on Snowpeak...**_

Dayan's duel with the young Zora had attracted the attention of several other Zoras from the nearby domain.

"Since I can't attack with Valkyrion, I'll end my turn." Dayan's opponent said.

"Perfect... It's time for a Synchro Summon." Dayan said. "I tune my Level 3 Defender with my Level 2 Prior and my Level 4 Strategist... For a total of 9... To Synchro Summon... Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier (ATK: 3510)! And, I'll banish Valkyrion from the field, Cyber Jar from the graveyard, and the only card left in your hand!" It was then that a large icy 3-headed dragon took form on Dayan's field, before causing a flash freeze which left Valkyrion, Cyber Jar and a card in the young Zora's hand as icy statues. The ice shattered and the 3 cards vanished.

"Whoa! A Synchro monster!" A young Zora said.

"I've heard only some of the best duelists in the world have Synchros..."

"Trishula, attack directly and finish this duel!" The Zora was knocked the ground, blown down by an icy wind (LP: 0). He stood up, holding out Valkyrion and his Locator Card.

"Here. You won these." He said.

"No. I have no need for Valkyrion." Dayan said. "Keep it."

 _ **At the Forest Temple...**_

Weevil laughed evilly.

"Now my mighty insect! Emerge from your Cocoon!" Weevil said.

 _This won't be good..._ Jennette though. Weevil's cocoon began to crack and peel, opening to reveal a large green moth with bright blue wings.

"Arise, Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth (ATK: 3500)!" Weevil exclaimed.

"3500 attack points?!" Jennette gasped.

"Great Moth, attack Gerudo Soldier (DEF: 1900)!" Weevil exclaimed.

"Activate trap card! Stealth Mission Fail!" Jennette exclaimed. "First of all, this negates your attack! Next, I'm allowed to Special Summon a Gerudo monster from my hand or deck!" It was then that a sexy Gerudo girl appeared on the field, garbed in a white bikini-like top and flowing white skirt. "I summon Gerudo Temptress (ATK: 2400)!"

"Ha! That can't stop my Great Moth!" Weevil exclaimed.

"I don't have to!" Jennette said. "Because when my Temptress steps onto the field, she places a Temptation Counter on one monster, preventing it from attacking or activating its effect! And I'm putting a stop to your Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth!"

"Ugh! I end my turn!" Weevil said.

"Lucky for you, I don't have anything I can do." Jennette said. "Go."

 _ **Meanwhile...**_

Danielle stood in a small spring in the southern forests of Hyrule, face-to-face with her opponent, a young Kokiri girl. The Kokiri (LP: 1300) had a female monster with bluish-purple skin, garbed in a pink dress who was rising out from a blooming red rose (ATK: 3640). Danielle (LP: 700) had two small white-and-black creatures that looked similar to fat penguins with grass plants sprouting out of their backs (ATK: 2210) (ATK: 2340).

"I end my turn." The Kokiri said.

 _I need something to destroy that Tytannial..._ Danielle thought. _That'll work..._ "I sacrifice Erla, Stealth Kikwi and Machi, Kikwi Leader to summon myself!" Danielle's two monsters vanished and she stepped forward onto the field, now wielding a rose-hilted thorn-bladed sword. "I summon Danielle, Sage of the Forest (ATK: 3380)!"

"Sorry, but that's not enough to beat my Tytannial." The Kokiri said.

"True, but I have a spell card to aid me... Beetle!" Danielle said. "This card will halve the attack points of your Tytannial (ATK: 1820), leaving me free to attack it and end the duel!"

"Uh oh..." The Kokiri stood and watched as Danielle sliced her monster in half (LP: 0).

"Looks like I win." Danielle said.

"Good duel." The Kokiri said, holding out her Tytrannial and her Locator Card. "Here. My Tytannial and my Locator Card."

 _ **Back at the Forest Temple...**_

"I'll lay one card face down." Weevil said. "You're move."

"I'll place a card face down and switch Temptress to defense mode (DEF: 2000)." Jennette said. "Go."

"I pass." Weevil said. "I WILL get that counter off of my Moth... And then I'll destroy you!"

Jennette sighed. "There's nothing I can do..." She said. "Your move."

"I lay one card face down and end my turn." Weevil said.

Meanwhile, Shaylene was walking through Hyrule Field, thumbing through her deck as she walked.

"I wonder which spring I should look for an opponent at first..." Shaylene wondered aloud. She then started thinking about life before Hyrule, when the world she now lived in was nothing more than a fictional land in a video game. "Maybe I should think about where the springs were in Twilight Princess... Lanayru Spring was at Lake Hylia, in a cave. I can't say I'll find too many there. I'll probably find a decent amount of duelists at Faron and Ordon Springs in the forests... But Kakariko's a bustling town. Eldin Spring might be my best bet."

Shaylene continued walking through the field and soon reached the entrance to Kakariko Village. She stopped and scanned the scenery as she walked in.

"I can't over how beautiful Hyrule actually is." Shaylene thought aloud. "In a way, I'm glad to be living here." _It certainly beats my old life..._

 _Shaylene sat in a large classroom with a bunch of other students. The teacher had a stack of test booklets on the top of his desk. He picked up the top one and looked out over the class._

" _All right, kids. I have the results of your MCAS tests." The teacher said. "On a general note, everyone did well. Though there were a couple of you who didn't pass. Miss Johnson..."_

 _Shaylene looked up nervously._

" _You scored a 275 in every category. Excellent job." The teacher said. "The rest of you should try to be excellent students like Miss Johnson here." Shaylene couldn't help but smile._

 _After class, at lunch, Shaylene was sitting down at a table by herself, eating her lunch. A group of jocks came over to her and smacked her lunch onto the floor._

" _Who do you think you are, making the rest of us look bad?" One of them asked._

" _Shaylene the Smartypants." Said another. "Best MCAS scores in the school."_

" _You're such a nerd." A third one said. "What kind of no-life loser does that good on the MCAS?"_

" _It's because she doesn't have a life or a boyfriend." The first jock said._

" _No. She doesn't have a boyfriend because she's such an ugly smartypants." The second jock repeated, grabbing Shaylene's notebook from next to her. "Look at all these nerdy notes!"_

" _Give me back my notebook!" Shaylene exclaimed._

 _"Why should we, Smartypants?" The second jock asked. "So you can make us look bad on the MCAS again?"_

" _I said give it back!" Shaylene cried out. One of the jocks smirked and held the notebook up just above Shaylene's reach._

 _"Come on, Smartypants. Can't you figure out how to reach it?" The third jock asked. "Or is your smartypants brain just a little too small?" Shaylene quickly got up and ran out of the cafeteria, tears in her eyes._

"I hated those guys... So what if I did good on the MCAS?" Shaylene wondered aloud, as she walked toward the spring. _I still owe CJ..._

 _CJ and Shaylene were sitting on the front steps of an elementary school situated at the fork of the city's main road and a side road, just up the street from their houses._

" _So a couple of football players were teasing you because you aced the MCAS?" CJ asked. "I would've loved to have done that good when I was your age. I mean, I did pretty good, but it would've been awesome to get near perfect scores."_

" _It was Brad and his friends." Shaylene said._

 _"Brad Dunham? The kid that trashed your lemonade stand last summer?" CJ asked._

" _Yeah... him..." Shaylene said._

 _"Hey Smartypants!" A new voice called out._

" _Speak of the devil..." Shaylene mumbled._

" _Look at this!" Brad said. "You actually have friends. How much are her parents paying you to be nice to her, man?" CJ stood up, towering over Brad by about 1 to 1 1/2 feet. He then grabbed Brad by the collar of his shirt and shoved him onto the mulch-covered ground of the nearby playground with enough force to slightly knock the wind out of him._

" _Listen to me, you low-life jock..." CJ said, with a furious tone. "If I find out again that you've been picking on Shaylene, in ANY way... I don't care how much older than you I am... I won't hesitate to break your arm and make sure you don't play football in your freshman year of high school. And make sure your friends get the message." Brad quickly stood up, shaking, brushed himself off and ran away._

" _Thanks, CJ." Shaylene smiled._

" _Of course, kiddo." CJ said. "Come on, let's go see if your sister's back from swim practice yet. I want to play a couple round of Super Smash Brothers."_

 _Brad was a lot nicer to me after that..._ Shaylene thought.

 _ **At the Forest Temple...**_

"Ugh... I can't do anything other than lay a card face down." Jennette said. "Go."

"I'll pass." Weevil said.

 _At least my Temptress is holding him off... But I need to draw something to begin the offensive..._ Jennette thought. _That's it!_ "I'll destroy my Gerudo's Fortress field spell to play the Spirit Temple field spell!" It was then that the area changed into a desert oasis. Behind Jennette stood a large rock formation. Carved into it was the shape of a woman sitting upon a throne, and at the bottom of the rock was a doorway. "Now, all monsters with 'Sage of Spirit' in their name gain 300 attack and defense points!"

"So?" Weevil asked. "I don't see any monsters fitting that name on your field..."

"I sacrifice Gerudo Soldier and Gerudo Warrior to summon Ancient Sage of Spirit (ATK: 3000)!" Jennette said, summoning a muscular young man with red hair, spiked in the front, in a green short-sleeved tunic and beige pants. "Next, I'll equip him with Black Pendant for a 500 point boost (ATK: 3500)! Next, I switch Temptress, Guard and Swordswoman to attack mode (ATK: 1900) (ATK: 1700) (ATK: 1900). Ancient Sage, attack Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth!"

"No! My Ultimate Moth!" Weevil exclaimed.

"And when Black Pendant is destroyed, you lose 500 Life Points!" Jennette said, as Weevil took the hit (LP: 4000 – 500). "But that's not all! Because Temptress, Guard and Swordswoman have more than enough points to finish you!"

"NO!" Weevil gasped as he was struck by Jennette's monsters (LP: 0).

"I've won." Jennette said. "Now, give me back my cards, and give me your Locator Card."

"Ugh..." Weevil groaned. "Here..." He handed back Jennette's cards as well as his Locator Card.


	5. Shadow of a Dream

**CHAPTER FOUR: Shadow of a Dream**

CJ walked through Kakariko Graveyard, looking at all the graves as he passed them.

 _Wow... to think that I'm standing in such a place as sacred as this... All of these people served Hyrule's Royal Family... And to think, because of one wish I made, this place has personal meaning for me and my family..._

CJ walked up a set of stairs and came to a closed off section of the graveyard. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a key, and unlocked the gate.

 _This is where every Sage of Shadow to ever live is buried..._ CJ walked forward and stopped at a familiar grave. He knelt down and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Miss you, Dad..." He said. "It's so weird not having you around to talk to... It's even weirder than living here in Hyrule now... Living in my favorite video game... I really wish you could've been with me longer. It's hard going through everything without you. It'd be nice to still have you here to guide me when I screw up. I mean... you weren't just my Dad. You were my friend. The person I trusted most when I needed someone to talk to. And even so... there's still things I didn't tell you... Things that now I wish I _could_ tell you. Maybe... maybe if I had told you I had feelings for Shaylene, you could've helped me get past them. Of course, I'm sure you already knew." It was then that CJ felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I've had a hunch for a while." A familiar voice said. CJ looked up and saw Shaylene.

"Damn... Well... now you know." CJ said.

"You didn't want me to know?" Shaylene asked.

"You'll be 17 in a week... I'm 26." CJ said. "It's just... not right. Besides... I'm married to Stacey."

"Yeah. I know." Shaylene said. "I wouldn't want to get you in trouble anyway. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I tried to start anything and you ended up in jail."

"Thanks, kiddo." CJ said.

"I'm almost 17..." Shaylene said. "Do you have to still call me 'kiddo'?"

"Sorry... old habits die hard, I guess." CJ said.

"Um... Your Majesty?" A new voice chimed in. CJ and Shaylene turned around and saw a young man about 16 or 17 with spiked crimson hair and golden eyes, dressed in a red muscle shirt and jean shorts.

 _Sam!_ CJ thought.

" _Sam! You've stormed my kingdom… You've killed my fellow Sages… You've destroyed the temples… And worst of all, you've just generally pissed me off!" Sam smirked._

" _I'm touched…" Sam said with an evil smile. "I was waiting when you'd come to fight me, C…"_

 _"And frankly, I'm not waiting for my husband to get here. I will slaughter you without his help." Stacey stood there, full Zora armor, Master Sword at the ready. Suddenly, CJ came crashing through the wall._

" _Don't start the fun without me." He said, tossing five lifeless Gerudo guards to the ground._

" _Always have to show me up, huh?" Stacey laughed._

" _Enough!" Sam shouted. "This is my kingdom! Guards!" Suddenly, four guards came out of nowhere and grabbed CJ and Stacey. "Bring the former King to me!" The guards pushed CJ forward and slammed him to the ground in front of Sam. "Turn him to face his wife." They turned CJ so he could see two guards holding Stacey, and a third with a sword to her neck. The Master Sword lay on the ground._

" _Don't you hurt her!" CJ shouted._

" _Execute her! Before his very eyes!" Sam shouted. CJ cried out in anger and the guard drove her sword through Stacey's neck. CJ slammed his fist into the ground, overcome with anger and despair, and began to weep. Amidst his tears, he looked at his hand and saw the Triforce of Courage appear along with Wisdom and Power._

 _CJ, the full Triforce in his possession, became filled with power. A wave of energy rushed out from him, sending the guards flying into the wall with such force that they died instantly. He then rushed forward and pinned Sam to the ground._

" _Sam Carlson… For everything you've done… You must pay… I cannot let this go unpunished…" CJ said. With that, he plunged the Pyramid Sword of Power into Sam's chest, ending his life. Suddenly, Sam's lifeless corpse began to glow with dark energy. CJ gasped at the being that took shape before him. It was a dark-skinned muscular man with crimson hair and crimson eyes._

CJ began to gather energy into his hand, reaching for the sword at his back, when Shaylene suddenly grabbed his wrist.

 _Wait a sec! That never happened! It was all just a dream!_ He realized, quickly lowering his hand from his sword.

"Can I help you with something?" CJ asked.

"My name is Sam Carlson... I'm a duelist out of Gerudo City. I'm one of the best duelists in the Desert Province."

"Yes. I've heard of you." CJ said. "Although you've topped your Regionals, you've never once shown up to duel at the National Championships."

"Yeah... I follow the pro dueling circuit." Sam said. "Although I usually do really well at Regionals, I'm always afraid to enter the Nationals and end up against you, Seto Kaiba and Yugi Moto."

"So, what's up?" CJ asked.

"Well... I'm a huge fan of yours, and when Seto Kaiba invited me into this tournament, well... I was hoping I'd get the honor of dueling you." Sam said.

CJ smiled and reached for his Duel Watch. "I'd be more than happy to honor your request for a duel."

"Really?" Sam asked.

"Of course." CJ said, "But we shouldn't duel in such a sacred area."

"Okay... Where would you want to duel?" Sam asked.

"Follow me." CJ said. He led Sam back to the entrance of the graveyard. "Right here, just outside the graveyard is fine." He then activated his Duel Watch and shuffled his deck. Sam did the same and slipped his deck into his Duel Disk. _I had better be careful... There's a few cards in this kid's deck that I've got to watch out for._ "You can begin."

"I activate the field spell, Arbiter's Grounds!" Sam said, as the graveyard transformed into the famed Arbiter's Grounds of Gerudo Desert. "Now, all my Twilight and Twili monsters gain 400 attack points and 200 defense points. Next, I summon Twili Guard (ATK: 2300)!" Then, a whitish-blue creature with orange hair, red eyes, and clothing made from shadows appeared on the field. "And thanks to his ability, I can send Arbiter's Grounds to the graveyard to draw 3 cards. And, even though my field spell is gone, my monsters still gain a field power bonus for being Dark attributes (ATK: 2470). Your move."

"I play Magical Mallet to shuffle 3 cards back into my deck and draw 3 new cards. Next, I summon Sheikah Priestess (ATK: 2470)." CJ said, summoning a white-haired maiden in a blue bodysuit covered by a white shawl bearing a picture of a red eye shedding a single tear. "Next, I lay a card face down and activate a fitting field spell for this area... Shadow Temple!" Sam watched as the graveyard transformed into a small cavernous room filled with dozens of torches. Behind CJ was a large stone door bearing the same eye symbol as his monster. "Not only will this eliminate your monster's field power bonus (ATK: 1900), but my Sheikah monsters gain 500 points (ATK: 2400). Now, my Priestess, attack!"

"I activate my trap, Widespread Ruin!" Sam exclaimed. "Which will destroy your Sheikah Priestess!"

"Since my Priestess is being targeted by the effect of a card, I can activate the effect of my field spell to banish her until the End Phase!" CJ said. His Priestess then threw a small nut to the ground, which exploded in a blinding light. When the light died down, the Priestess had vanished. "And with that, my turn is over, so my Priestess returns to the field. Go."

"I lay one monster in defense mode and switch my Guard to defense mode as well (DEF: 1000)." Sam said. "Go."

"I lay a monster in defense mode and send my Priestess to attack your facedown monster!" CJ said.

"You destroyed my ReDead!" Sam said. "And when it's destroyed, I can discard a card to revive it on the End Phase." Then, an undead zombified skeletal creature appeared on Sam's field (DEF: 0).

"I end my turn." CJ said.

"I activate the Field Spell, Palace of Twilight!" Sam said. "Now, all my Twilight and Twili monsters gain 500 attack and defense! Now, I switch Twili Guard to attack mode (ATK: 2400) and summon a second Twili Guard (ATK: 2400)! Guard, attack Sheikah Priestess!"

 _Damn! Without another face-up Sheikah, I can't use Priestess's effect!_ CJ thought, as his monster was destroyed (LP: 4000 – 500).

"Guard, attack that face down!" Sam said.

"You attacked my Sheikah Spy!" CJ said. "First, I can destroy one spell or trap on the field, and I choose Palace of Twilight! Next, when my Spy is destroyed, it takes with it the monster that destroyed it, so say goodbye to your Guard!"

"I end my turn." Sam said. "But since my field spell is gone, my monsters go back to getting a field power bonus (DEF: 0) (ATK: 2470)."

"I summon Sheikah Soldier (ATK: 2470)!" CJ said, summoning a silver haired knight in blue armor, carrying a lance. "Attack!" CJ and Sam watched as both their monsters vanished. "And with that, I'll end my turn."

"I summon Twilight Assassin (ATK: 2340)!" Sam said, as a black portal appeared above the field. A black creature with a humanoid body wearing a large stone mask dropped out of the portal. Its body was covered with various markings, some grayish-green and others red. "Attack!"

"I activate my trap card: Battle of the Stealthy!" CJ said. "This negates your attack and lets me Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Sheikah from my hand or deck!" By this point, a crowd had started to gather to watch CJ's duel.

"Dude, is that the King?" One spectator asked.

"No way! It is!" Another exclaimed. "Awesome!"

"And that kid he's dueling is Sam Carlson, the Gerudo City Champ!" A third spectator said with excitement.

"Dude, this is gonna be awesome to watch!" The first spectator chimed in. Shaylene looked around at the crowd that was beginning to drift in to watch CJ's duel.

 _Wow... I can't believe how many people are coming over to watch CJ and Sam duel..._ Shaylene thought. _I hope I can become that great of a duelist that one day people will stop to watch my duels..._

"I summon a second Sheikah Priestess (ATK: 2470)!" CJ said, summoning a new silver-haired maiden in Sheikah garb.

"Whoa, that Sheikah deck is so cool!" One of the spectators said.

"I'd expect from the King." Another added.

"Yeah." A third said. "Although no one's ever gotten confirmation, it's rumored that His Majesty is the only remaining member of the Sheikah tribe alive to this day."

"Being the Sage of Shadow, I would expect no less." Said an older man who was standing nearby. "Ironic that the one you see cheering the loudest for him at most of his duels is the Sage of Light..." Everyone then turned their attention back to the duel, as CJ had already begun his next turn.

"Sheikah Priestess, attack Twilight Assassin!" CJ commanded.

"I activate Poison of the Old Man!" Sam exclaimed. "It won't do anything to stop your attack, but it'll boost my life points by 1200!" Sam's Life Points then increased (LP: 5200) before his monster was destroyed and he took damage (LP: 5200 – 130).

"I'll end my turn with a face down." CJ said.

"I activate Mirror of Twilight!" Sam exclaimed. "By discarding two monsters from my hand, I can Special Summon Midna, Twilight Princess from my hand or deck!" Everyone looked on as a large round mirror appeared on the field. Shadows began to take form near it, soon appearing as a small female imp-like creature with red eyes, orange hair, garbed in a stone helmet-like object and shadows that were draped over her to look like clothing, covering her arms, chest, waist and right leg (ATK: 4420). "And thanks to her ability..."

"... She gains 100 attack and defense points for each Dark-attribute monster in both our graveyards, giving her a 800 point boost (ATK: 5220)." CJ said.

"Twilight Princess, attack!" Sam exclaimed.

"Activate Sheikah Flashbang!" CJ exclaimed. "Not only will this save my monster, returning her to my hand until the Standby Phase, this also skips your turn ahead to the End Phase." Then, Sheikah Priestess threw down a small nut, which exploded in a bright flash, confusing Midna and allowing the Priestess to escape.

"Whoa! That card's so cool!" One spectator exclaimed.

"The King has a lot of work to do this turn." The older gentleman said. "With a 5220 attack point monster staring him down that gets stronger with every Dark monster destroyed, he's really going to need to work to stay in this duel. And he'll have to work even harder to win."

"Well, I guess it's your turn, then." Sam said.

"I summon Sheikah Soldier (DEF: 1700) and switch Sheikah Priestess to defense mode (DEF: 1400)." CJ said, summoning a warrior in blue armor. "Next, I lay a card face down."

"Midna, attack that Priestess!" Sam commanded.

"I activate my Sheikah's ability!" CJ said. "I'll sacrifice my Soldier instead of letting my Priestess be destroyed!"

"I end my turn." Sam said, as Midna gained strength (ATK: 5320).

"I lay a card face down and end my turn." CJ said.

"Midna, attack Sheikah Priestess!" Sam commanded.

"Activate trap card: We Are the Sheikah!" CJ shouted. "Since I control a Sheikah, I can Special Summon another one from my graveyard! So, I'll summon a second Priestess. Of course, since my trap card negates her effect, my other Priestess will be destroyed."

"I end my turn." Sam said, once again as Midna gained a boost for the dark monster in the graveyard (ATK: 5420).

"I lay a card face down." CJ said. "Go."

"I lay a card face down as well." Sam said. "Midna, attack that Priestess!"

"I activate another Sheikah Flashbang!" CJ said, as his Priestess threw down a small nut and vanished. "Which means it's my move!" He drew a card and his Priestess returned. "I sacrifice my Priestess to lay a monster in defense mode. Go."

"I activate Reckless Greed, allowing me to draw 2 cards, but forcing me to skip my next two Draw Phases!" Sam said.

 _Yeah... Because he needed that..._ CJ thought.

"Next, I'll lay a card face down and do you the favor of activating Nightmare's Steelcage!" Sam said. "Your move."

CJ drew a card.

"I activate Grave Lure!" Sam said. "Now, you reveal the top card of your deck and then shuffle it back into the deck face-up. When you draw it, it's automatically sent to the graveyard!"

CJ flipped up his top card. _Evil's Summoning Ritual?! Crap!_ "I pass..." CJ said.

 _Whoa! Did CJ just pass his turn? That's not a good sign..._ Shaylene thought.

"Wow! This guy's really got the King on the ropes!" One spectator said.

"I can't believe that the guy who almost beat Yugi Moto is having this much trouble!" Another spectator said.

 _His Midna is really holding me back..._ CJ thought. _If I don't find a way to beat it and turn this duel around, I may just be knocked out of this tournament before I have a chance to do anything... Or worse... I may lose the King of Evil..._

"I summon Twilight Kargaroc (ATK: 2080)!" Sam said, summoning a large shadow bird-like creature. "Go."

"I lay a card face down." CJ said. "Go."

"Midna, attack that defense!" Sam said, as CJ's monster was destroyed and Midna's strength increased (ATK: 5520). "Kargaroc, direct attack!"

"Activate trap card: Fatal Strike!" CJ exclaimed. "By paying 2000 Life Points (LP: 3500 – 2000), I can Special Summon as many Sheikah from my graveyard as possible! So, I summon Sheikah Warrior (ATK: 2990), two Sheikah Priestesses (ATK: 2470 [x2]) and two Sheikah Soldiers (ATK: 2470 [x2])."

"Since I can't attack any of them... I'll end my turn." Sam said.

"Which means all of my Sheikah are destroyed." CJ said, before drawing a card. "I summon Sheikah Monk (ATK: 2340) and lay a card face down." Then, a young man in a crimson bodysuit and white hooded shawl bearing the Sheikah eye appeared on the field. "Attack Twilight Kargaroc!" Sam watched as his monster was destroyed (LP: 5070 – 260). "Go."

"I lay one card face down." Sam said. "Midna, attack that Monk!"

"Activate Trap Card: Sakuretsu Armor!" CJ said. "Now, Midna's destroyed!"

"Crap!" Sam exclaimed. "Argh! I end my turn."

"I sacrifice my Monk to summon Bongo Bongo, Phantom Shadow Beast (ATK: 2730)." CJ said, summoning a phantasmal beast with a lone red eye and two floating, disconnected hands. "Attack that ReDead!"

"I discard a card to allow ReDead to return (DEF: 0)!" Sam said.

"Your move." CJ said.

 _Yes! Now CJ's got him on the ropes!_ Shaylene said.

"There we go! The King gained the upper hand!" One spectator said.

"Woo! Go Your Majesty!" A second called out.

"Good thing too." The older gentleman said. "The young Sage of Light looked nervous." He looked at Shaylene, who chuckled and smiled a bit.

 _Of course I was nervous._ Shaylene thought. _He's one of the toughest people I know. Seeing him backed into a corner like that is weird._

"I summon a monster in defense mode." Sam said. "Go."

"Bongo Bongo, attack that face down defense monster!" CJ said.

"You destroyed my Poe!" Sam said. "And when it's destroyed, I get to summon a Soul Token (DEF: 0) to your side of the field!" CJ looked as a sickle and lantern wielding ghost was destroyed and a simple ball of light floated over to his side of the field. "And this token can't be Tributed."

"I end my turn." CJ said.

"I summon another monster in defense mode." Sam said. "Go."

 _I need to start building up a better army of monsters, or I won't get past his defenses._ CJ thought. _But, with no cards in his hand, if I destroy his ReDead, he won't be able to revive it._

"Bongo Bongo, attack that ReDead!" CJ shouted. "Your move."

"I throw a monster in defense mode." Sam said. "Go."

"Bongo Bongo, attack the face down on the left!" CJ commanded. Everyone watched as a Twilight Assassin was destroyed. "Go."

"I activate Soul Taker to destroy Bongo Bongo!" Sam said. "And, you'll even gain 1000 Life Points!"

"Why thank you." CJ said (LP: 2500), as the Sheikah symbol appeared on his shirt. A brown staff then appeared in his hand. At the tip of the staff was an upside gold triangle piece with a round purple crystal on each side. "By destroying Bongo Bongo, you've allowed me to summon... CJ, Sheikah Sage of Shadow (ATK: 4160)! Now, I can finally turn this duel in my favor!"


	6. Light vs Twilight

**CHAPTER FIVE: Light VS Twilight**

"I activate Soul Taker to destroy Bongo Bongo!" Sam said. "And, you'll even gain 1000 Life Points!"

"Why thank you." CJ said (LP: 2500), as the Sheikah symbol appeared on his shirt. A brown staff then appeared in his hand. At the tip of the staff was an upside gold triangle piece with a round purple crystal on each side. "By destroying Bongo Bongo, you've allowed me to summon... CJ, Sheikah Sage of Shadow (ATK: 4160)! Now, I can finally turn this duel in my favor!"

"Uh-oh..." Sam said.

"Yay! Go CJ!" Shaylene cheered.

"It looks like His Majesty is going to turn this duel around." Said the older man.

"I end my turn..." Sam said.

"I summon Sheikah Whip Master (ATK: 2210)!" CJ said, summoning a female warrior in a crimson bodysuit, whose upper body was wrapped in white cloth. On the cloth was the Sheikah eye, and the young woman had blonde hair which was tied into a ponytail and was carrying a crimson whip. "Next, I activate not one, but two Sheikah Unity! Thanks to these, since I control at least 2 Sheikah, all my Sheikahs will gain 600 attack points: 300 from each Unity spell card."

 _Uh-oh... This isn't going to end well..._ Sam thought, as CJ's monsters gained strength (ATK: 4760) (ATK: 2810).

"Whip Master, attack that defense!" CJ watched as another Poe was destroyed, and a new Soul Token appeared on his field (DEF: 0). "Next, I'll attack you directly!"

Sam braced himself as CJ gathered up a blast of energy and launched it at him, knocking him to the ground (LP: 4810 – 4760). Sam wearily stood up, ready for his next move (LP: 50).

"Your move." CJ said.

"I... I can't do anything." Sam said, placing his hand over his Life Point counter. "I surrender." The holograms faded and both duelists deactivated their Duel Disks.

"It was a good duel." CJ said. "You fought hard."

"Yeah... I guess I did." Sam said. "Here. My Locator Card and my rarest card."

"I don't need your rarest card." CJ said. "Just your Locator Card will do." Sam then began to walk away.

"Wait!" Shaylene said. "I want to duel you."

"Well... I only have one Locator Card..." Sam said.

"So do I." Shaylene said. "So, whoever wins stays in the tournament. Whoever loses is knocked out."

"Are you sure you want to do that, Shay?" CJ asked.

"I have to duel and be faced with the potential of being knocked out at some point, don't I?" Shaylene asked.

"Yeah, but... He's a Regional Champ. Someone who has had the chance on multiple occasions to go to Nationals." CJ said.

"So? Obviously, Kaiba had a reason for inviting me into this tournament." Shaylene responded. "He only invites the best duelists into his competitions."

"Okay, then." CJ said. "If you feel so strong about it, then go for it, kiddo."

"Can you please not call me 'kiddo'?" Shaylene asked.

"I'm trying, ki- I mean... I'm trying, Shay." CJ said. "But I've been calling you that for years. It's gonna be tough to break."

"All right, you've got yourself a duel!" Sam said.

"I'll start!" Shaylene said. "I lay one card face down and summon The Agent of Mystery – Earth (ATK: 1000)!" Then, a silver haired, green-winged angelic creature appeared on the field. "And thanks to Earth's effect, I can add 1 Agent monster from my deck to my hand, and I'll choose The Agent of Creation – Venus! Next, I banish my Agent of Mystery – Earth in order to summon Master Hyperion (ATK: 2700)!" Then, Earth vanished and was replaced by a divine looking being in a gold, black and red robe. Floating between its hands was a glowing orb of light that resembled the sun. "That's all for my turn."

"I lay one card face down and monster in defense mode." Sam said. "Your move."

"I activate the Spell card, Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen!" Shaylene said. "Now, if I control no monsters, I can Special Summon a Fairy-type monster from my hand once per turn. Next, I summon The Agent of Creation – Venus (ATK: 1600) and I use her effect, paying 1000 life points (LP: 4000 – 1000) to Special Summon two Mystical Shine Balls (DEF: 500 [x2])." Sam watched as a golden-haired, green-robed, winged angelic woman appeared on the field, followed by two glowing crystal orbs. "Master Hyperion, attack that defense!"

"You attacked my Twilight Parasite (DEF: 780)!" Sam exclaimed. "And thanks to its flip effect, I can equip it to one of your monsters, taking control of that monster and treating it as a Zombie-type Twilight monster, so... I'll be taking Master Hyperion!"

"I end my turn." Shaylene said.

"I summon Twilight Assassin (ATK: 2340)!" Sam said, summoning a black human-like creature that walked on its hands and feet. It wore a large stone black mask.

"I activate my trap card! Torrential Tribute! Since you summoned a monster, this will destroy all monsters on the field!"

"I end my turn." Sam said.

"Thanks to Valhalla's effect, I Special Summon Tethys, Goddess of Light (ATK: 2400)!" Shaylene said, summoning a great-winged, silver-haired, divine woman in a white robe and silver breastplate. "Tethys, attack Sam directly!" Sam was unable to defend himself as Shaylene's white goddess attacked him (LP: 4000 – 2400). "Your move."

"I summon Twili Guard (DEF: 1300) and lay one card face down." Sam said. "Your move."

"Tethys, attack that Guard!" Shaylene said. Sam merely stood there as his Guard was destroyed.

 _Why didn't Sam summon his guard in attack mode? It would've had 70 more points that her Tethys.._ CJ wondered. _He was doing so well in our duel... Is he already cracking under the pressure of being in a big tournament like this?_

"I activate both my trap cards: Grave Lure and Dust Tornado!" Sam exclaimed. "First, thanks to Grave Lure, you flip up the top card on your deck and shuffle the deck. When you draw that card, it's instantly sent to the graveyard." Shaylene flipped up The Agent of Wisdom – Mercury and shuffled her deck. "Next, my Dust Tornado will destroy your Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen!"

"With that, I end my turn." Shaylene said. "Go."

"I activate Card Destruction, forcing us to discard our hands and draw the same number of cards from our deck." Sam said.

"Lucky for me, I drew Marshmallon, and thanks to Tethys's effect, since I drew and revealed a Fairy-type, I can draw another card." Shaylene said.

"I lay a monster in defense mode and a card face down." Sam said. "Go." _When her Tethys attacks my Twilight Parasite, I'll take it and turn the duel around. And with a second Parasite in my hand, I'll take whatever other monster she can summon._

"I lay two cards face down and summon a monster in defense mode." Shaylene said. "Tethys, attack!"

"You attacked another Twilight Parasite!" Sam said. "I'll be taking your Tethys!"

"I end my turn." Shaylene said.

"I lay a monster in defense mode and activate the Field Spell, Arbiter's Grounds!" Sam said. "Now, all my Twilight monsters gain 400 attack. And guess who counts as a Twilight monster?"

"My Tethys..." Shaylene said.

"That's right!" Sam said. "So she'll get the boost from my field spell (ATK: 2800)! Tethys, attack!"

"Activate trap card! Protection of the Bird Guardians! First, your attack is negated! Next, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower monster from my hand or deck. And I choose Consecrated Light (DEF: 0)! Now, Dark-attribute monsters can't be Normal or Special Summoned, can't attack, and this card can't be destroyed in battle by a Dark monster." Shaylene said, as a glowing pink orb appeared on the field.

"I end my turn." Sam said.

 _Good. Thanks to Consecrated Light, if he has any more of those Parasites, he won't be taking more monsters since they need to be flipped to activate their effects and they now can't be summoned._ "I activate Beckoning Light! This forces me to discard my hand, but it allows me to add the same number of Light monsters from my graveyard to my hand. So, since I discarded 3 cards, it lets me add 3 Light monsters to my hand... and I'll choose The Agent of Creation – Venus, Master Hyperion, and myself... Shaylene, Sage of Light. Next, I banish The Agent of Creation – Venus from my hand to Special Summon Master Hyperion (ATK: 2700)! Now, thanks to Hyperion's effect, I can banished a Light Fairy-type from my graveyard, like Mystical Shine Ball, to destroy one card on the field... And I choose your face down monster!"

"No! My Parasite!" Sam gasped.

"Just as I expected." Shaylene said with a smirk. "Next, I sacrifice Consecrated Light and my face-down Marshmallon to summon... Shaylene, Sage of Light (ATK: 2750)! Next, I pay 500 Life Points (LP: 3000 – 500), using my effect, in order to bring my Consecrated Light back to the field (DEF: 0)." Shaylene stepped forward onto the field, now dressed in a flowing white gown, followed by her Consecrated Light. Go."

"Tethys, attack Master Hyperion!" Sam said. Shaylene watched as her Hyperion was destroyed (LP: 2500 – 100) but remained unfazed. "I lay one card face move."

"I pay 500 Life Points (LP: 2400 – 500) to revive Master Hyperion (ATK: 2700)." Shaylene said. "Next, I'll banish another Mystical Shine Ball to destroy Twilight Parasite, meaning I get Tethys back to my side of the field!"

"I activate Reckless Greed, allowing me to draw two cards!" Sam said. "However, I must skip my next two draw phases!"

"Master Hyperion, attack directly!" Shaylene said.

"Activate trap: Widespread Ruin! Now your strongest monster is destroyed!" Sam exclaimed. Shaylene removed her Sage Card from her Duel Disk, her clothes returned to normal, and she stepped back.

"Sorry, but that doesn't help... Master Hyperion's attack still continues!" Shaylene said. Sam braced himself as Master Hyperion fired an energy beam at him, depleting his Life Points (LP: 0).

"Good duel..." Sam said. "Here. As the winner, you're entitled to my rarest card and my Locator Card."

"I'll just take the Locator Card. Keep your rarest card." Shaylene said. With that, she pocketed the Locator Card and began to walk away.

 _I wonder if she's going where I think she's going..._ CJ thought to himself. _Maybe I should follow her and find out. But I should probably do it in secret. If she didn't ask me to tag along, she may want to go alone._ He began to walk in the opposite direction and began to climb a steep hill on the west side of the village. When he neared the top, he was able to leap to a nearby rooftop, and from there, he swiftly jumped from roof to roof. He soon reached a small, normally inaccessible rock cliff overlooking Kakariko Graveyard.

 _Just as I suspected..._ He thought to himself. He looked down at the graveyard below him, where Shaylene was knelt down in front of her family's graves.

"I really miss you guys..." Shaylene thought aloud, trying her hardest to fight the tears. "Mommy... Daddy... I wish you guys could see me graduate from high school next year... But I'm staying strong and doing what I can. And CJ and Jennette are here to help me. Still... I wish you guys were here..." She looked down at their graves, read their names carved on their stones, and could no longer hold back her tears.

With a gentle push, CJ sprung from the top of the cliff and landed with a gentle, near-silent thump on the soft ground below. He walked toward the graveyard entrance and plucked a small bunch of white flowers. He walked quietly over to Shaylene and placed his hand on her shoulder. Startled, she quickly looked up.

"H-How'd you know I was here?" Shaylene asked, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Call it a hunch." CJ said, kneeling down beside his best friend. He placed a few flowers on each of the graves. "How are you holding up, Shay?"

"About as well as I can, I guess." Shaylene said, sniffling and shedding a few tears. She and CJ stood up and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, holding her close.

"Anything you need, Shay, I'm here for you." CJ said.

"Thanks." Shaylene said. "I still can't understand how you do it... I really can't... It's so hard not having Mom or Dad around anymore..."

"I just take it one day at a time." CJ said. "I wish I could say it gets easier, but it really doesn't. I know that's not what you want to hear, but..."

"You say it doesn't get easier, but... how have you stayed so strong all this time?" Shaylene asked. "I never see you cry. How can you fight the tears? How do you withstand the pain?"

"I guess I just... got used to it. I don't know. It's hard to explain." CJ said. "Sure, the pain never goes away... And the loss never gets easier to handle, but at the same time, I guess the easiest way I can explain it is that you just learn how to deal with it better."

"But how? How do you learn to deal with it?" Shaylene asked.

"I don't think it's really something that can be explained." CJ said. "For me, I've dealt by being with friends, family and the people I love most... People like you and Stacey."

"Really?" Shaylene asked. "I've helped you?"

"Of course." CJ said. "Spending time with you always makes me feel better. Especially when you're happy. Your smile always brightens up my day. Same with Stacey. There's just something about the two of you that always makes me happier. Something about you guys that calms me down. Something soothing. And I can't even say who it's stronger with. It's hard to tell. That's probably why, even after 4 years with her, I'm still fighting my feelings for you."

"Do you really mean that?" Shaylene asked.

"Would I really say that if I didn't mean it?" CJ asked.

"No... At least, I hope you wouldn't." Shaylene said.

"Of course I mean it, silly." CJ said. "And I'm here for you if you need someone to help you feel better. Someone to help calm you down. There's a song I like listening to that makes me feel better. And I think maybe it'll help you."

"Really?" Shaylene asked.

"Yup."

Shaylene looked at CJ, tears building in her eyes.

"Thanks..." She said, wrapping her arms around her best friend. "I love you, CJ."

"I love you too, Shay." CJ said. "You're not alone. And I'm here when you need a shoulder to cry on. You're my best friend, you mean the world to me, and I'd do anything for you."

"Thanks... I can't say how much that means to me..." Shaylene said, drying her eyes again.

"And hey. Take all the time you need here." CJ said. "I'm in no rush. And I'll stay right by your side. I'll even stick with you for the rest of the tournament."

"Thanks, CJ." Shaylene said, as the two knelt back down by her parents' and brother's graves.


	7. Stalked by the Neo Ghouls

**CHAPTER SIX: Stalked By the Neo Ghouls**

 _I'm glad I won my first duel..._ Stacey thought as she traversed Hyrule Field. She was following a small stream that emptied into a large pool behind Hyrule Castle. To her right was a large stone bridge. In the distance was a large rocky cliff, with a small cave that the stream flowed out from. Crouched atop the cliff, watching her, was the same man who watched her as she left Castle Town.

"Good... She's almost in my trap." He said to himself.

Stacey continued to follow the stream and soon came to a small cavern next to the stream. At the cavern entrance was a sign that read "To Zora's Domain". Taped to the sign was a paper that read "Cavern to Zora's Domain blocked by rock slide. Follow detour across Bridge of Eldin."

"Figures." Stacey said. She began to walk back toward the small bridge near the large pool of water. As she crossed the bridge, she noticed several robed man standing at the end of the bridge. She turned to go back across the other side of the bridge and saw more robed men. "Hey, you guys mind getting out of my way?" It was then that the one of the men removed his hood, revealing spiked white hair and a sinister smirk.

"Sorry... But you're not going anywhere unless you duel me." He said.

"Excuse me? I don't have to duel anyone." Stacey said, side stepping toward the edge of the bridge. It was then that she felt a brief sharp pain in her neck, before collapsing to the ground.

Sometime later, Stacey awoke to find herself in a dark, damp room made completely of stone.

"Where... am I?" She wondered. The man in the robe stepped out from the shadows and smirked.

"Ah, good... You're awake." He said with a sinister tone.

"Where the Hell am I?" Stacey snapped.

"Don't worry about that." He said. "You're where my master needs you to be."

"And just where exactly is that?" Stacey questioned.

"That, my dear, is not of your concern." The man replied.

"And for that matter, who is your master?" Stacey inquired. "In fact, who in the Hell are you?"

"My name is of little importance, but those who've ever dealt with me have come to know me as 'Seeker'. I am one of the infamous Rare Hunters, now known as the Neo Ghouls."

"Neo Ghouls, huh?" Stacey thought for a moment. "So... you must be here for my Hero of Time, then?"

"You're a smart one." Seeker said. "Good. Then, hopefully this duel will be a challenge."

"Don't expect to win." Stacey bragged "I _will_ win this. And I _will_ escape here."

"Oh don't worry about escaping." Seeker said. "You're free to go regardless of the outcome of the duel. I'm only after your Hero..."

Stacey stood up and activated her Duel Disk.

"Then face me, Neo Ghoul!" She said. "And be ready to release me... With the Hero of Time still in my possession."

"We shall see about that." Seeker said, activating his Duel Disk. "First move is mine! I summon Stone Statue of the Aztecs (DEF: 2000) and lay one card face down." It was then that a large stone statue with two large hands appeared on Seeker's field. "Your move."

"I summon Blue ChuChu (DEF: 1000)!" Stacey said, summoning a small blue blob creature. "Next, I lay one card face down as well. Your move."

"I play Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three cards, provided I discard two." Seeker said. He drew three cards and smirked evilly as he discarded two. "Next, I summon Gear Golem the Moving Fortress (DEF: 2200)!" A small golden mechanical monster appeared on the field. On its sides were two large, spiked silver shields, which quickly moved to cover the monster like a shield. "Your move."

 _Is that all he's going to do? Just throw out defensive monsters and hope I don't pull something to destroy them with?_ Stacey wondered.

 _ **Meanwhile...**_

"How are you feeling?"

CJ and Shaylene were walking through Kakariko Village. Shaylene was admiring her newly-acquired Locator Card, and CJ had his arm around her shoulder.

"Better." Shaylene said. "I'm glad I have you around. You always know how to cheer me up."

"Hey, we've been best friends for what... 10, 11 years now?" CJ asked. "I would hope I know how to cheer you up, Shay."

Shaylene laughed. "Good point. I guess I'd be worried if you didn't know what to do to make me feel better."

"That's my girl... Well, sort of." CJ said with a chuckle.

 _ **In the mysterious cavern...**_

"I throw one monster in defense mode." Stacey said. "Go."

"I activate Swords of Revealing Light!" Seeker said. "Now you won't be hiding any monsters from me!" Stacey gasped as her face down monster was revealed to be a large puffer fish (DEF: 800).

 _Damn... There's goes the hope of him attacking my Froak and killing one of his monsters..._ Stacey thought.

"It's your move." Seeker said.

"I sacrifice my Froak, Exploding Puffer to summon Cranioc, Faron Sharks (ATK: 2200)!" Stacey said, as her puffer fish vanished and was replaced by a large shark with an extra large head. "Of course, since I can't attack, I'll end my turn."

"Good. Let's see what I've got." Seeker said, drawing a card. "Another Graceful Charity! I'll be drawing 3 more cards and discarding two!"

 _He's relying a lot of defenses and drawing cards... What in the world is he planning?_ Stacey wondered. She thought for a moment. _Oh no! He's drawing for Exodia! I need to do something to stop this!_

"It's your move." Seeker said.

"I sacrifice my Cranioc and my Blue ChuChu to summon Faron, Sacred Dragon of Faron (ATK: 2800)!" Stacey said, as her two monsters were replaced by a large blue dragon who looked to have water flowing through transparent veins in her body. "And when she's successfully Tribute Summoned, I can Special Summon a Water monster from my graveyard, so I'll choose Blue ChuChu (ATK: 1500)! Next, I reveal my face down Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Swords of Revealing Light! Faron, attack!"

"I activate Mirror Force!" Seeker said.

"Damn..." Stacey said. "I end my turn."

"I activate Hand Destruction!" Seeker said. "Now we each discard two cards and then draw two new ones."

 _Awesome! I drew the Hero of Time and Master Sword Ritual!_ Stacey thought. _And I have enough sacrifices to summon him! I can turn this around next turn!_

"You've fallen into my trap!" Seeker exclaimed. "I've assembled the five pieces of the unstoppable Exodia!" Stacey gasped as a large humanoid stone-looking creature in an ancient Egyptian headdress appeared on the field.

"Oh no!" Stacey exclaimed.

"Finish her!" Seeker exclaimed. "Hellfire's Rage – Exodo Flame!" Stacey was slammed onto her back as Exodia launched an immense beam of energy at her (LP: 0).

"Damn..." She wearily sat up, still reeling from the attack.

"Now... I believe we'll be taking your Hero of Time." Seeker said. Stacey reluctantly thumbed through her deck until she found her Hero of Time. She held out it, the Master Sword Ritual and one of her Locator Cards. Seeker snapped them out of her hand and pocketed them. "Hand over your other Locator Card."

"You never said we were wagering two..." Stacey said.

"That's okay." Seeker said. "We're not against taking what we want by force." Stacey then felt a jolt of pain in her neck similar to when she was captured. She almost immediately collapsed to the ground unconscious. Seeker reached down to the deck box at Stacey's waist and smiled as he pulled out her second Locator Card. Two more Neo Ghouls then entered the room.

"What do you want us to do with her, Seeker?" One of the Ghouls asked.

"Drop her at Lake Hylia." Seeker said. "I need to go give this to the boss." He smirked and held up the Hero of Time. "He'll be happy to finally have his hand on this card."

 _ **Meanwhile...**_

In Southern Castle Town, Layla stood face to face with a man in a red suit, top hat, and blue-and-yellow striped mask.

"So... Arkana's your name?" She asked.

"Yes." Arkana said. "And you're not worthy to wield that Princess of Destiny that you hold!"

"Excuse me?!" Layla snapped. "How dare you insult my heritage!" She activated her Duel Disk. "Face me! Now!"

"As you wish." Arkana said. "And I'll begin..."

"No! _I'll_ start!" Layla said, rage in her voice. "I activate the field spell, Elemental Sanctuary! Now, all my Four Sword monsters will gain 500 attack and defense points. Next, I summon Four Sword Emerald Hero (ATK: 2400)!" Then, a blond-haired, blue-eyed boy in a pointy green hat, green tunic, white tights and leather boots appeared on the field. "Next, I lay a card face down. Go."

"I summon Defender, the Magical Knight (ATK: 1600)!" Arkana said, summoning an armored mage carrying a large shield. "And when he's summoned, he gets a Spell Counter (SC: 1), but you'll find out what that does soon enough. Next, I lay one card face down and equip my Knight with Mage Power! Now, he gains 500 points for each spell or trap on my field (ATK: 2600), making him strong enough to... destroy your Emerald Hero!" Layla watched as Defender rushed forward, threw aside his shield, revealing a small dagger, and stabbed Emerald Hero, destroying him (LP: 4000 – 200). "Your move."

"I activate Call of the Haunted to bring back Four Sword Emerald Hero (ATK: 2400)! Next, I'll use Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Mage Power, weakening Defender (ATK: 1600)!" Layla said. "Emerald Hero, attack!"

"You've fallen into my trap! Magic Cylinder!" Arkana said. "This will redirect your attack back at your Life Points!"

"What?!" Layla gasped as Defender held up a small cylinder which sucked in the Emerald Hero's sword and flung it back at her (LP: 3800 – 2400).

"Will that be all for you?" Arkana asked with a smirk.

"Go..." Layla said. _Shit... Maybe I'm not as good at this game as I thought I could be... Did Kaiba know that? Is that why I'm in this tournament? Because I'd be an easy win if he ever got to face me?_

 _ **Meanwhile...**_

The Kaiba brothers were walking through the streets of Castle Town. Mokuba was carrying a small tablet device that was frequently updating him on the tournament's participants.

"Seto... Stacey was beaten by the same Rare Hunter who was marking his cards back in Battle City." Mokuba said.

"You're kidding!" Kaiba said. "Someone won her Hero of Time? I can't believe it!"

"Believe it, Big Bro." Mokuba said. "And I'm not detecting any invisible ink on his cards this time around. He did it completely fair and square... And... Layla's dueling that Arkana guy..."

"You mean that creepy magician who was able to block the signal from Yugi's Duel Disk back in Battle City?" Kaiba asked.

"The very same." Mokuba said.

"Has anyone suspicious gone after CJ yet?" Kaiba asked.

"No... The only person he's dueled is Samuel Carlson, the Regional Champ out of Gerudo City." Mokuba said.

"Any signs of any other Rare Hunters?" Kaiba asked.

"Several." Mokuba said. "About half have been knocked out already, and from what I can tell, they're all playing completely legit."

"I thought they disbanded several years ago after Battle City..." Kaiba said. "What are they all doing back?"

"More importantly, now that Marik's a good guy, who are they working for?" Mokuba wondered.

"And why are they after the Triforce Destiny Cards?" Kaiba thought aloud. "Mokuba, keep tabs on CJ. Let me know if any Rare Hunters go after him. And while you're at it, get me a GPS fix on his Duel Disk as well as that girl Shaylene's."

"Why Shaylene, Big Bro?" Mokuba asked.

"She and CJ are close." Seto said. "I wouldn't be surprised if the Rare Hunters use her to get to him. Especially if they _are_ after the Destiny Cards."

Mokuba entered a few commands into his tablet device. "They're both at Kakariko Graveyard." He said.

"Thanks, Moki." Kaiba said. "Let's go. I need to find an opponent."

 _ **Back in Castle Town...**_

"I'll simply switch my Defender into defense mode (DEF: 2000)." Arkana said. "Go."

"I lay one card face down." Layla said. "Attack Defender!"

"I'll remove Defender's counter (SC: 0) to save him." Arkana said.

"Your move." Layla said.

"I lay a card face down." Arkana said. "Go."

"I play another Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your face down!" Layla said. "Emerald Hero, attack Defender!" Arkana stood there unfazed as his monster was destroyed. "Your move."

"I summon Royal Magical Library (ATK: 0) and activate Tribute Doll! Now, by sacrificing Royal Magical Library, I can Special Summon a level 7 monster from my hand... So I summon Endymion, the Master Magician (ATK: 2700)!" Layla watched as a suit of armor appeared on Layla's field and collapsed into a pile of dust which quickly took the shape of a mage in black armor and a violet cape. "Lucky for you, he can't attack this turn."

"I lay a card face down and switch Emerald Hero to defense mode (DEF: 1500)." Layla said. "Go."

"I activate Dark Magic Curtain! Now by paying half my Life Points (LP: 4000 – 2000), I can Special Summon Dark Magician from my deck (ATK: 2500)!" Arkana said. Layla watched as Yugi's most famous monster appeared on Arkana's field. This one however had silver hair and wore a red robe instead of a purple one. "Next, I'll equip my Dark Magician with Wonder Wand for an added power boost (ATK: 3000). Endymion, attack Emerald Hero!"

"I activate my trap: I Got Your Back!" Layla said. "Since a Four Sword monster is being attacked, I can Special Summon Four Sword Maiden from my deck (DEF: 2000)!" Then, a blond-haired maiden in a pink gown appeared on the field. "And she gives all my Four Sword monsters a 500 point boost, including herself (DEF: 2000) (DEF: 3000)."

"Endymion, continue what you were doing! Wipe that Emerald Hero from existence!" Arkana commanded, as his magician struck Emerald Hero with a destructive blast of magic. "Lucky for you, there's nothing I can do about that Maiden... Go."

"I summon Four Sword Goron Hero (DEF: 2000)." Layla said, summoning a Goron in a pointed green hat and tunic. "Your move."

"Well this is unfortunate... for you." Arkana said. "I use Endymion's ability and discard a spell card to destroy your Elemental Sanctuary, meaning your monsters' points will drop (DEF: 1500) (DEF: 2500). Endymion, wipe out that Maiden! Dark Magician, clear the field of her Goron Hero!"

"No!" Layla stood helplessly as her monsters were destroyed.

"Your move..." Arkana said. "Soon you'll be handing over that Princess of Destiny... To a more worthy owner... My master."

"And just who is your master?" Layla asked.

"You'll learn that in due time..." Arkana said. "Just make your move. But be careful, make the wrong move and it's over."

"I lay a monster in defense mode." Layla said. "Go."

"Endymion, attack that defense!" Arkana said. Layla smirked as a small red boat with a wooden head attached to it was destroyed.

"Thank you." Layla said. "By flipping my King of Red Lions, you've allowed me to draw three cards." _My Princess of Destiny, her ritual and my Sage Card! Perfect! And with the right sacrifices already in my hand, I've got all the cards I need to summon her!_

"I'm afraid this duel is over..." Arkana said. "Dark Magician, attack her directly and end this duel! Dark Magic Attack!"

"What!? No!" Layla fell onto her back, knocking her head against the hard cobblestone walk as she fell (LP: 0).

"...Oops?" Arkana said mockingly. He smirked as he walked over and snatched up Layla's Princess of Destiny and Locator Card. He then pressed a finger to his earpiece. "Seeker... How are things coming on your end?"

" _The Hero of Time is in my hands and Her Majesty is unconscious on the shores of Lake Hylia."_ Seeker's voice echoed through the earpiece. _"You?"_

"I'm holding the Princess of Destiny right now." Arkana said.

" _And the girl?"_ Seeker asked.

"She had a little... accident when she lost." Arkana said. "Hit her head on the cobblestone. She's out cold."

" _Take her to Castle Town Hospital."_ Seeker said. _"Act like you found her collapsed south of town. Play innocent. Once that's done, meet me at the rendezvous point. We need to give these cards to the boss."_

"What about CJ and the King of Evil?" Arkana asked.

" _The Master wants to deal with CJ himself."_ Seeker said. The communication was cut. Arkana then picked up Layla's unconscious body and began to walk towards the center of Castle Town.

 _ **Some time later...**_

Seeker stood atop the Great Bridge of Hylia, overlooking Lake Hylia. He looked toward Hyrule Field as Arkana walked toward him.

"She's taken care of?" Seeker asked.

"Yes." Arkana said. "Said I found her in the south of Castle Town. Told them her Duel Disk was active, and that she must have been hit too hard during a recent duel. Suggested that her opponent may still be nearby."

"Clever... Sinister." Seeker said. "I like it." It was then that another man in a Neo Ghouls robe approached them. All that could be seen of his face were two menacing, soulless blue eyes.

"Do you have the cards?" The ghoul asked.

"Yes, Master." Seeker said. He and Arkana held out the two Triforce Destiny Cards.

"Good job, my servants." The mysterious ghoul said. "Return to Castle Town. One of the girls will likely report back to CJ about what has happened, and he will come looking for you."

"Master... I thought you wanted to take care of CJ yourself." Seeker said.

"I do." The ghoul said. "Duel him. Let him win. Let him enter the finals. I will meet him there."

"Master... Are you... going out to duel?" Arkana asked.

"Of course." The ghoul said. "I have no intention of using the Triforce Destiny Cards until I reach the finals. Once there, I will unleash their full darkness upon the King and claim the final Destiny Card." With that, the mysterious ghoul walked away.


	8. Hunting the Hunters

**CHAPTER SEVEN: Hunting the Hunters**

Stacey wearily awoke to the sound of flowing water and a worried voice.

"Your Majesty! Are you okay?!" Stacey opened her eyes and saw a young Zora boy standing over here. She wearily sat up, rubbing her neck.

"Where... Where am I?" Stacey asked. She looked around and scanned her surroundings. "That's right! I was dueling that Seeker guy and he beat me with Exodia! When I didn't turn over my second Locator Card, something hit me in the neck and I must have passed out."

"Yeah... I've been trying to wake you for about 2 hours... You've been out cold." The Zora said. "I just called the paramedics..."

"Thanks." Stacey said. She then reached into her pocket and grabbed her phone. "I... I should call CJ."

 _ **Meanwhile...**_

CJ and Shaylene were standing in a city built into a cave on Death Mountain, just northeast of Kakariko Village. With them was a familiar brown-haired young woman.

"Thanks for the duel, Janelle." CJ said. "... and the Locator Card."

"You're welcome." Janelle said. "It was a nice duel." It was then that CJ's phone rang.

"This is CJ. Really? Awesome, we'll be right there." CJ said over the phone.

"What's up?" Shaylene asked.

"I've had my team at Industrial Illusions working on a new deck of cards for you." CJ said.

"Really?" Shaylene asked.

"Yup." CJ said. "Let's head out and pick them up."

A short time later, CJ and Shaylene walked out of a large office building. In her hand was a deck of cards, which she was thumbing through.

"These are awesome. Thanks CJ." Shaylene said with a smile.

"You're more than welcome, Shay." CJ said. It was then that CJ's phone rang again. "Hey hun.. What's up?"

" _I lost my Hero of Time..."_ Stacey said from the other end.

"What?!" CJ gasped.

" _I was attacked by a Rare Hunter... Well, a Neo Ghoul..."_ Stacey said.

"Neo Ghoul?" CJ questioned.

" _Yeah... It's what the Rare Hunters call themselves..."_ Stacey said. _"Seeker attacked me, beat me with Exodia and took my Hero of Time and Locator Cards."_

"I'll take of him." CJ said. "These Neo Ghouls will pay for this." With that, he hung up. "Come on, let's go."

"Where are we going?" Shaylene asked,

"The one place where it will be easiest to hunt down these hunters." CJ said. "KaibaCorp Headquarters."

"You talking about the Neo Ghouls?" A new voice said. CJ and Shaylene turned and saw Seto and Mokuba Kaiba standing there.

"Yes. Any chance you can help me find them?" CJ asked.

"If they're in possession of the Triforce Destiny Cards, I shouldn't." Kaiba said. "But you'll be more of a challenge than those pathetic fools anyway, so I'll help."

"Gee... How generous of you, Kaiba." CJ said with a sarcastic tone. "I'm looking specifically for Seeker, the Exodia duelist."

Mokuba opened his briefcase, revealing a small laptop and typed a few things into a GPS tracking programs.

"He's near the Great Bridge of Hylia." Mokuba said. "Heading back towards Castle Town. And I'm getting a GPS fix on another duelist near him..." He checked the reading. "Arkana. The same guy who just beat Layla and took her Triforce Destiny Card."

"They got the Princess of Destiny too? Damn..." CJ swore. "Thanks, guys. Time to go deal with these pests."

 _ **A short time later...**_

CJ and Shaylene walked through Hyrule Field, with the Great Bridge of Hylia in their sights. Standing on the bridge were Seeker and Arkana.

"There..." CJ mumbled. "Neo Ghouls!" Seeker and Arkana turned and faced CJ and Shaylene.

"Well, well, well... Looks like the King has decided to grace us with his presence." Seeker said.

"Shut up!" CJ snapped. "I'm not here to give you any kind of grace! I know what you stole from Layla and Stacey!"

"Stole?" Arkana questioned. "We earned those cards fair and square."

"Fair?" CJ asked. "I highly doubt it..." He swiftly activated Duel Disk. "...And now it's time you pay the price. Duel me! All-or-nothing! I win, you both hand over your Locator Cards... You win, and I'll hand over mine."

"Hold on." Shaylene said. "Two on one's not fair. Let me duel with you."

"Shay... Don't risk your Locator Cards for me." CJ said.

"I'm not letting you risk your Locator Cards... AND your Triforce Destiny Card... on this duel!" Shaylene snapped. "I'm helping you, and you're not stopping me!"

CJ sighed. "Fine... Two-on-two. I trust you, Shay." Shaylene then activated her Duel Disk, as did Seeker and Arkana.

"Since you don't have a chance, we'll allow you to go first." Seeker said with a smirk.

"I activate the Silent Realm field spell!" Shaylene said, as the area gained a gentle blue. Shaylene now stood atop a blue Triforce mark. "Next, I activate the Great Fairy Fountain spell card and the Spirit Vessel spell card! First, thanks to my Fairy Fountain, all Dark monsters on my side of the field are treated as Light monsters. Next, once per turn, my Spirit Vessel gains a Sacred Tear Counter (STC: 1). You'll see what those do soon enough. Finally, I lay a card face down."

"I lay two cards face down and summon Sheikah Whip Master (ATK: 1700)." CJ said, summoning a blond-haired woman in a crimson bodysuit carrying a crimson energy whip. "And thanks to Shaylene's Great Fairy Fountain, my Sheikah is treated as a Light monster, and thus gains a 500 point boost from her Silent Realm field spell (ATK: 2200)! That's it for us."

"I summon Defender, the Magical Knight (ATK: 1600)." Arkana said, carrying a knight in blue armor carrying a large magical shield. "Next, I lay two cards face down and equip my Knight with Mage Power, giving him 500 points for each Spell and Trap I control (ATK: 3100)! Defender, attack that Whip Master!"

"Activate Trap: Battle of the Stealthy!" CJ exclaimed. "First, your attack is negated. Next, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Sheikah from my deck... I summon Sheikah Monk (ATK: 2300), who gives all my other Sheikah an extra 400 points, strengthening my Whip Master (ATK: 2600)!"

"I activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards." Seeker said. "Next, I play Hand Destruction, forcing us to all discard two cards and draw two new ones. Next, I activate not one, but two Graceful Charity spell cards, allowing me to draw six cards and discard four. Finally, I lay two cards face down and a monster in defense mode. Your move."

"I summon Silent Realm – Earth Watcher (DEF: 800)!" Shaylene said, summoning a phantasmal creature in a white and gold robe, attached to a dangling lantern.

"I lay two cards face down." CJ said. "Whip Master, attack Seeker's face down!" CJ watched as a large stone soldier was destroyed. "Go."

"I activate Dark Magician Curtain, paying half my life points (LP: 4000) to Special Summon Dark Magician (ATK: 2500)!" Arkana said, as his red-robed, silver-haired mage took to the field.

"Arkana! Don't be so reckless with our Life Points!" Seeker shouted.

"Dark Magician, attack that Earth Watcher!"

"I activate Earth Watcher's effect! First, your attack is negated... Next, I can Special Summon a Silent Realm monster from my deck, except for Earth Watcher... I summon Silent Realm – Mace Guardian (ATK: 2300)!" Shaylene said, as she summoned a large metallic-looking, robot-like spirit carrying a large golden metallic mace.

"Dark Magician, attack Mace Guardian!" Arkana commanded.

"Activate trap! Protection of the Bird Guardians! First, your attack is negated! Next, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower monster from my deck!" Shaylene said. "I summon Guardian Dragon Eldin (ATK: 2500)!" Then, a large orange dragon with an underside resembling lava and garbed in a red robe appeared on the field.

"I lay a monster in defense mode." Seeker said. "Go."

"I summon Sheikah Siren (ATK: 2000)!" CJ said, summoning a purple-haired young woman in a simple black garment composed of two straps to cover her chest and a flag-like cloth draped between her legs. "And thanks to her ability, since I control another Sheikah, she can attack directly! Siren, attack Seeker directly!" Seeker stood there helpless as he was struck (LP: 4000 – 2000).

"Are you kidding me, Arkana!? We're a team! You're supposed to defend me!" Seeker shouted.

"Oh, I am? I'm terribly sorry." Arkana said sarcastically.

"Since it's my turn, my Spirit Vessel gains a Sacred Tear Counter (STC: 2)." Shaylene said. "Next, I lay a card face down. Eldin, attack Seeker's defense! Mace Guardian, attack Defender! And thanks to my Guardian's ability, since we're in the Silent Realm, your monster is automatically destroyed!"

"I don't think so! Activate Magic Cylinder!" Arkana exclaimed. "Now, your attack is negated and you'll take your monster's attack as damage."

"No big deal." Shaylene said (LP: 8000 – 2300). "I activate the secondary effect of my Fairy Fountain. By tributing a Light monster, like my Mace Guardian, I can increase our Life Points by its attack points (LP: 8000). And since my turn's over, Eldin's effect activates, allowing me to tribute him and Special Summon Eldin, Spirit of the Earth from my deck (ATK: 2900)!" Then, Shaylene's dragon vanished and was replaced by a glowing golden owl spirit.

"Our move!" Arkana said. "I summon Skilled Dark Magician (ATK: 1900)." Then, a mage in a deep blue robe appeared on the field.

"And I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Silent Realm! So now, your monsters lose their effects and their power boosts (Eldin: 2400) (Siren: 1500) (Whip Master: 2100) (Monk: 1800)!"

"Now, thanks to my partner's spell card, my Skilled Magician gains a Spell Counter (SC: 1)." Arkana said. "Defender (ATK: 2600), attack Sheikah Siren!"

"Activate Battle of the Stealthy!" CJ said. "You know how this goes! I summon another Monk! And now, my two Monks will boost each other (ATK: 2200), and my second Monk will boost my other Sheikah (Siren: 1900) (Whip Master: 2500)."

"Dark Magician, attack one of those Monks!" Arkana commanded.

"Activate Mirror Force!" Shaylene exclaimed.

"What!?" Arkana gasped.

"Our monster force!" Seeker gasped.

"...Is gone." Shaylene said with a smile. "In one sweep."

"Not quite." Arkana said. "I'll use Call of the Haunted and revive my Dark Magician, and since it's still my Battle Phase, I'll send him in to try again! Attack one of those Monks!"

"I'm up... Activate Sakuretsu Armor!" CJ said.

"Damnit Arkana!" Seeker shouted.

"Don't blame me!" Arkana exclaimed.

Seeker groaned. "Our turn is over." _But luckily, I have 3 pieces of Exodia in my hand. This will be over soon. And we'll have all 3 Triforce Destiny Cards._

"First, my Spirit Vessel gains another counter (STC: 3)." Shaylene said. "Now... I believe you're open for a direct attack."

"I activate Fatal Strike!" CJ said, stepping forward onto the field. "By paying 2000 Life Points (LP: 8000 – 2000), I can Special Summon as many Sheikah from my graveyard as possible."

"Cheater! We never sent any Sheikah to the graveyard!" Seeker exclaimed.

"Listen to the pot calling the kettle black..." CJ said. "I was forced to discard a Sheikah when you played your Hand Destruction... I summon CJ, Sheikah Sage of Shadow (ATK: 3200)! Now, by my math... Our monsters have a combined total attack power of 15200..."

"15200!?" Seeker gasped.

"Some might call this attack 'overkill', but given what you two have done, I'd consider it underkill..." CJ said.

"Eldin!" Shaylene called out.

"Monks! Siren! Whip Master! And, myself of course." CJ said.

"It's time to end this duel!" CJ and Shaylene shouted in unison. Seeker and Arkana could do nothing but stand there, shocked at how the duel had ended (LP: 0).

"That's... not... possible... I have... three sets of Exodia." Seeker said. "How... How could I lose?"

"It's sad..." CJ said. "You have to rely on three sets of Exodia." He then reached into his deck box and pulled out 5 cards. "I didn't even need to use my one set of Exodia. Now... hand over the Triforce Destiny Cards and your Locator Cards." He looked on the ground and saw Arkana's two Locator Cards. He reached down, picked them up and handed them to Shaylene.

Seeker angrily held out his Locator Cards. "I've already passed the Destiny Cards to my master."

"Who's your master?" CJ questioned.

"He's probably already looking for you..." Seeker said with a sinister smirk. "He will find you."

"Who is he?!" CJ said, sounding more serious.

"You'll find out in due time..." Seeker responded.

"Damnit! WHO IS HE?!" CJ shouted, grabbing Seeker by the throat.

"CJ..." Shaylene grabbed CJ's arm. He quickly realized what he was doing and released Seeker.

"He will find you... And he will take your King of Evil..." Seeker said.

"He's not telling us anything..." CJ said. It was then that his cell phone ring. "This is CJ."

 _"CJ, it's Mokuba. We just detected a duelist on the south side of Castle Town using the Princess of Destiny and Hero of Time. Seto and I are on our way."_ Mokuba said from the other end.

"I'll be there soon." CJ said. "Keep me posted."


	9. Destiny Corrupted

**CHAPTER EIGHT: Destiny Corrupted**

CJ and Shaylene walked through South Hyrule Field, Shaylene walking close to CJ.

"Are you okay?" She asked. "You really lost your temper with those Neo Ghouls..."

"Y-yeah..." CJ said. "I just... can't stand their cheating ways. I don't trust them..." _Rare Hunters never made my blood boil like that when I used to watch Yu-Gi-Oh... Maybe because back then it was just an anime... just a Saturday morning cartoon... But now, I'm actually experiencing it... And it's affecting the people I care about..._ A vision then flashed in CJ's mind.

" _I hope you don't value that Dark Magician, boy! Because it'll soon be in the hands of the Rare Hunters!" 15-year-old CJ stood in an alleyway in Domino City, surrounded by Neo Ghouls, known then as the Rare Hunters. In front of him stood Seeker._

" _You won't beat me!" CJ said._

" _I beg to differ..." Seeker said with a smirk. He laughed as the famous Exodia the Forbidden One appeared behind him._

 _"Exodia?! No way!" CJ gasped._

" _Exodia, Hellfire's Rage! Exodo Flame!" Seeker called out, and Exodia launched an energy blast that knocked CJ onto his back. Seeker walked over and grabbed CJ's Dark Magician and Locator Card._

" _Hey! You can't take my Locator Card! Battle City starts tomorrow!" CJ said._

 _Seeker handed the Locator Card to one of the other Rare Hunters._

" _We acquire what we need by any means necessary." Seeker said._

 _"That's cheating!" CJ exclaimed._

 _"For Master Marik." Seeker said. He and the other Rare Hunters stepped back before vanishing._

 _That's right!_ CJ realized. _It's weird still having memories from my old life mixing with memories of the life that the Crystal Wii Remote created... Especially since the wii remote changed all of our pasts so that we were born here in Hyrule... I wonder if everyone else's memories are changing or changed as well..._

"CJ, are you okay?" Shaylene asked, snapping CJ out of his thoughts.

"Yeah... Just... trying to figure things out, I guess." CJ said.

"Old memories mixing with new ones?" Shaylene asked.

"Yeah..." CJ said, a bit shocked. "You too, I take it?"

"Yup." Shaylene said. "I have strong memories of Dad being an HCIS agent and being promoted to Director a few years ago... But at the same time, I can still remember our old life. I still remember everything that happened with Brad Dunham and my MCAS scores. I remember signing up for honors classes when I started high school... I remember Jennette and Steven going to college at..."

"...the same college where I planned on going to study meteorology." CJ said.

"Me too." Shaylene said. "I really hoped I could be a meteorologist for channel 7 news..."

"Really?" CJ asked. "You're interested in meteorology too?"

"Yeah." Shaylene said. "Thunderstorms scare me but... there was always something I've found intriguing about weather in New England."

"I know what you mean." CJ said. "We used to get everything there."

"Heck, I even remember us walking to Gamestop in October of last year with Alex, Dayan and Danielle to pick up Pokemon X and Y..." Shaylene said.

"Yeah... Alex was back from college that weekend. Specifically to get Pokemon." CJ said. "And I took the day off from work just so we could all head up early."

"Yeah... You guys had to walk past my house to get there so you picked me up on the way." Shaylene said. "And Stacey had to work, so she was too tired to go with us."

"She was so pissed that she wasn't seeing me that day." CJ said. "She knew I liked you and she was jealous. She hated when I'd talk about you, and even worse when I'd hang out with you instead of her… Though I doubt that's changed."

"Remember the time Mom and I swung by the local community college where you worked as a security guard, and she went jogging on the track while I did my homework?" Shaylene asked.

"You mean when you were excited about starting high school the following year and I was grilling you about how school was going, whether you were interested in boys or not, and stuff like that?" CJ asked.

Shaylene laughed. "Yup."

"Yeah, I remember that." CJ said. "I almost confessed to liking you right then and there..."

"I wish you had." Shaylene said.

"You know why I didn't." CJ said.

"Because of our age difference?" Shaylene asked.

"Well, that had a little bit to do with it." CJ said. "But mostly, I didn't know how you... or our friends and families... would react. I expected a LOT of negativity in response to someone my age liking someone your age." By this time, the two had reached Castle Town's south gate. CJ pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. "Mokuba, what's the status on the Ghoul with the Destiny Cards?"

" _He's still in South Castle Town. By Telma's Bar."_ Mokuba said.

"Good. Thanks." CJ said. CJ and Shaylene rushed to South Castle Town, where they witnessed the mysterious Neo Ghoul defeat a nameless female duelist with the Hero of Time.

"I'll be taking your Locator Card... And your rarest card." The Ghoul said.

"Hey! Neo Ghoul!" CJ shouted. "Hand over those Destiny Cards!" The Ghoul turned around and smirked.

"The King of Hyrule... And holder of the King of Evil..." He said. "I've been waiting for this." He then removed his hood, revealing blond haired, scruffy facial hair, and dark sunglasses.

"Bandit Keith?! _You're_ behind these Neo Ghouls?!" CJ gasped.

"Yes... And soon, I'll be taking your King of Evil." Keith said, activating his Duel Disk.

"Don't count on it!" CJ snapped back, activating his Duel Disk. "I summon Sheikah Soldier (ATK: 1900)." Then, a silver-haired soldier in a blue armor appeared on the field. "Next, I activate the Shadow Temple field spell, giving all my Sheikah an extra 500 point boost (ATK: 2400)! Finally, I lay a card face down and equip my Soldier with Sheikah Studies, giving him an extra 500 points (ATK: 2900)! Your move."

"I summon Indomitable Fighter Lei Lei (ATK: 2300) and lay three cards face down." Bandit Keith said. "Your move."

"I summon Sheikah Monk (ATK: 2300)." CJ said, summoning a Sheikah in a brown bodysuit and white cloak. "And he gives all my other Sheikah an extra 400 points, boosting my Soldier (ATK: 3300). Soldier, attack!"

"Activate trap cards: Shield Spear and Horn of the Phantom Beast! Thanks to these cards, my Lei Lei gets an extra 1200 attack points (ATK: 3500), making it strong enough to beat the Sheikah Soldier!"

"Shit!" CJ exclaimed, as his monster was destroyed (LP: 4000 – 200). "Go."

"Thanks to Horn of the Phantom Beast, I can draw a card. Perfect! I've drawn one of my two ultimate cards!" Bandit Keith exclaimed. He smiled as he reached behind him and pulled out a sinister-looking mirror glowing with a dark aura.

"How did you get your hands on the Dark Mirror?!" CJ gasped. "That artifact is supposed to be locked deep below the Arbiter's Grounds!"

"I activate the spell card, Ritual of the Dark Mirror!" Keith said, as a blond-haired blue-eyed maiden in an elegant lavender dress appeared on the field.

"The Princess of Destiny!" Shaylene exclaimed.

"I sacrifice the Princess of Destiny from my hand using the Dark Mirror, unleashing her darkness and allowing me to summon Princess of Darkness (ATK: 3500)!" Keith called out, as the Princess's robe became black and her hair turned silver. "Princess of Darkness, attack Sheikah Monk!"

"Activate trap: Battle of the Stealthy!" CJ exclaimed. "First, your attack is negated... Next, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Sheikah from my deck... Sheikah Whip Master (DEF: 2000). Next, I switch my Monk to defense mode (DEF: 2100). Go."

"Princess of Darkness, attack Whip Master!" Keith shouted.

"I activate the effect of my Shadow Temple, allowing me to banish Whip Master until the End Phase!" CJ said.

"Lei Lei, attack Monk!" Keith said. CJ watched as his Monk was destroyed. "I lay a card face down and Lei Lei goes to defense mode. Your move."

"On my End Phase, Whip Master returns (DEF: 2000)." CJ said. "Next, I activate Magical Mallet to return my hand to the deck and draw the same number of cards. Now, I lay a monster in defense mode and lay a card face down. Go."

"Princess of Darkness, attack that face down!" Keith commanded.

"You attacked my Sheikah Spy!" CJ said. "First, before she's destroyed, she'll take your face down spell or trap card! Next, when she's destroyed, she takes the monster who attacked with her."

"No! My Time Machine!" Keith said. "You'll pay for that!"

"Yes! Way to go, CJ!" Shaylene cheered.

 _Don't cheer yet, Shay._ CJ thought. _This isn't quite over._

"I end my turn with a face down." Keith said.

"I switch my Whip Master back to attack mode (ATK: 2200)." CJ said. "Attack Indomitable Fighter Lei Lei!" Keith was unable to do anything as his monster was destroyed. "Your move."

"I activate Ritual of the Dark Mirror and sacrifice The Hero of Time to summon The Hero's Shadow (ATK: 4000)!" Bandit Keith said, as a shadowy version of the legendary Hero of Hyrule, Link, appeared on the field. "Hero's Shadow, attack Sheikah Whip Master!"

"Activate trap card: Sakuretsu Armor!" CJ said. "Your Hero's Shadow is destroyed!"

"Activate Dark Bribe!" Keith shouted. "Your trap card is negated and my attack continues!" CJ watched as his Whip Master is destroyed (LP: 3800 – 2300). "Now, you can draw a card. Your move."

"So... you're after my Triforce Destiny Card right?" CJ said with a smirk. "Well then, I should give you a chance to see it. I activate Evil's Summoning Ritual and sacrifice Din, Goddess of Power from my hand to summon Ganondorf, King of Evil (ATK: 4500)!" Bandit Keith looked on in fear and amazement as the legendary crimson-haired, crimson-eyed man in black armor appeared on the field. "King of Evil, attack The Hero's Shadow!"

"NO!" Bandit Keith exclaimed as his monster was destroyed (LP: 4000 – 500).

"For once, Ganondorf triumphs over the Hero." CJ said. "And in the end of this duel, the Triforce of Power will be victorious over the thief of Wisdom and Courage. Your move."

"I play Card of Sanctity!" Bandit Keith said. "Now, we each draw until we have 6 cards in our hand!" Both duelists then drew from their decks, maxing out their hands. "Next, I use Monster Reborn to revive Indomitable Fighter Lei Lei, who I'll sacrifice for Machine King (ATK: 2200), who gets an extra 100 points for each Machine on my field, including himself (ATK: 2300)." Then, a silver-blue robot appeared on Bandit Keith's field. It had red shoulders and arms and a large red circular screen on its chest. "Now, I activate Limiter Removal, doubling my Machine King's attack (ATK: 4600)! Attack the King of Evil!"

CJ braced himself as Ganondorf was destroyed (LP: 1500 – 100).

"I lay two cards face down and end my turn," Bandit Keith said, "and on my End Phase, Machine King is destroyed."

"I summon Sheikah Soldier (ATK: 2400) and equip it with Sheikah Studies (ATK: 2900)." CJ said, summoning a silver-haired Sheikah in blue armor. "Attack Bandit Keith directly!" Keith braced himself and took the hit unfazed (LP: 3500 – 2900). "You only have 600 Life Points, Keith. This WILL be over soon. Your move."

"How right you are." Keith said. "I banish Indomitable Fighter Lei Lei and Machine King... One beast-warrior and one machine... from my graveyard to Special Summon Beast Machine King Barbaros Ur (ATK: 3800)." CJ looked at Keith's field as a blue centaur-like beast with mechanical arms and golden hair, wearing a crimson breastplate and spiked belt, appeared on the field. "Barbaros Ur, attack Sheikah Soldier!"

"Luckily for me, Beast Machine King can't deal any damage to me." CJ said (LP: 1400).

"Your move." Bandit Keith said.

"I lay two cards face down." CJ said. "Your move."

"I summon Mechanicalchaser (ATK: 1850)!" Keith said, summoning a green spherical machine with wings, a robotic head and various weapons attached to him. "Mechanicalchaser, attack CJ directly! Finish this!"

"Activate trap: Battle of the Stealthy!" CJ said. "First, I'll negate your attack. Next, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Sheikah from my hand or deck. And I choose Sheikah Monk (ATK: 2300)!" Then, a Sheikah in a brown bodysuit and white cloak appeared on the field.

"Beast Machine King, attack!" Keith commanded.

"I activate the effect of my Shadow Temple and banish my Monk until the End Phase." CJ said. "And since Beast Machine King can't do Battle Damage, your turn is done."

"Yes... Go." Keith said.

"I activate We Are the Sheikah, allowing me to Special Summon a Sheikah from my graveyard... A second Sheikah Monk (ATK: 2300)! And I'll use my first Monk's effect and discard a card to Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Sheikah from my deck... Sheikah Siren (ATK: 1600). Finally, I lay a card face down and activate Sheikah Unity, giving all my Sheikah an extra 300 points (Monk: 2600 [x2]) (Siren: 1900). And, thanks to my first Monk, my second Monk and my Siren get a 400 point boost (Monk: 3000) (Siren: 2300). Go." Then, a purple-haired young woman in a simple black garment composed of two straps to cover her chest and a flag-like cloth draped between her legs appeared on the field.

"I equip Mechanicalchaser with 7 Completed (ATK: 2550." Keith said. "Attack Sheikah Siren!"

"Activate trap card: Sheikah Flashbang!" CJ said. "First, my Siren returns to my hand until my Standby Phase. Next, this turn skips to the End Phase." He drew a card. "On my Standby Phase, Sheikah Siren returns to the field (ATK: 1900). Next, I summon The Silent Sheikah (ATK: 2500), who allows me to increase or decrease the level of a Sheikah monster I control, and I'll decrease my revived Monk's level by 1 (Lv: 3). Next, I tune my Level 3 Silent Sheikah with my Level 3 Monk and my Level 3 Siren... to Synchro Summon CJ, The Last Sheikah (ATK: 4400)." CJ laid a white monster card on his Duel Disk and stepped forward, covered in a golden chest plate and carrying a staff topped with an upside-down gold triangle. On each side of the triangle was a spherical purple stone.

"Yeah! Way to go, CJ!" Shaylene cheered.

"You crossed the wrong duelists, Bandit Keith!" CJ said. "And with only 600 Life Points left, and a perfect 600 attack point difference between my Last Sheikah and your Beast King, I can end this! Now, I attack-!" CJ stopped his attack as an image flashed in his mind.

" _You crossed the wrong duelists, Bandit Keith!" CJ said. "And with only 600 Life Points left, and a perfect 600 attack point difference between my Last Sheikah and your Beast King, I can end this! Now, I attack Beast Machine King Barbaros Ur with Shadow Staff Blast!"_

" _I activate my face down card: Rising Energy!" Keith said. "Thanks to this card, my Beast Machine King gains 1500 attack points (ATK: 5300), destroying your Last Sheikah!" CJ gasped as his Sheikah was destroyed. "And since you're down to one Sheikah, your Monk loses it's power boost (ATK: 2300)!"_

" _Damn... I switch Monk to defense mode (DEF: 2100)... Go." CJ said._

" _Beast Machine King, destroy Sheikah Monk!" Keith commanded. "Mechanicalchaser, attack CJ directly!" CJ was slammed onto his back as he was struck (LP: 0)._

" _CJ! No!" Shaylene panicked._

" _I've won, boy!" Keith said with a smirk. "Now, all three Triforce Destiny Cards are mine!" The Dark Mirror began to glow with a black aura that quickly surrounded Bandit Keith and his voice became sinister and evil. "And soon... Hyrule will be mine!"_

 _Wait... Was that... a vision of the future? I should change my strategy._ CJ thought. "I attack Mechanicalchaser with Shadow Staff Blast!"

"Activate trap: Rising Energy!" Keith said. "This will give my Mechanicalchaser an extra 1500 points (ATK: 4050), saving my Life Points from your attack!" CJ then launched a blast of energy at Keith's monster, destroying it (LP: 600 – 350).

"I end my turn." CJ said.

"I switch Beast Machine King to defense mode (DEF: 1200) and equip it with Flint!" Keith said. "And with that I end my turn."

"I attack Beast Machine King with Shadow Staff Blast!" CJ said.

"Since a monster equipped with Flint was destroyed, I can equip Flint to another monster, and I choose your Last Sheikah!" Keith said. "Next I activate Time Machine, allowing me to bring back my Beast Machine King (DEF: 1200)."

"Monk, attack Beast Machine King!" CJ said, as his Monk launched an attack, destroying Beast Machine King. "Go."

"I activate Flint Missile to destroy your Last Sheikah!" Keith said.

"I activate the effect of Shadow Temple, banishing my Last Sheikah until the End Phase!" CJ said. "And since there's nothing left in your hand or on your field, I believe this duel is over..." CJ smiled as he drew a card and returned his Synchro Monster to his field. "I attack with Shadow Staff Blast and end this duel!" Bandit Keith braced himself as the shadow blast struck him (LP: 0) and he was knocked down, smacking his head against the stone bridge and rendering him unconscious.

"So... what do we do?" Shaylene asked. CJ walked over to Bandit Keith, searched through his graveyard, and found the Triforce Destiny Cards. He looked on the ground and saw 4 Locator Cards. He then pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Hey this is CJ. We have an injured duelist at the Great Bridge of Hylia... It's Bandit Keith." He then hung up and pocketed his cell phone. He turned to Shaylene. "Let's go."

"We're... leaving?" Shaylene questioned.

"Yeah." CJ said. "Someone's on their way to take care of Bandit Keith." CJ then reached down by Bandit Keith and picked up the Dark Mirror.

"CJ... Be careful with that." Shaylene said, worry present in her voice.

"I will, Shay." CJ said. "I will."


	10. Let the Finals Begin

**CHAPTER NINE: Let the Finals Begin! Never-Ending Rivalry!**

CJ and Shaylene stood in North Castle Town, not far from Hyrule Caste. Shaylene (LP: 1800) was in a duel with a brown-haired, brown-eyed, tan-skinned young man (LP: 800). On the young man's field was a dragon covered in multicolored rare gems (ATK: 2000), and on Shaylene's field were three different dragons: One was red, had an orange underside that resembled flowing lava and wore a red robe (ATK: 2000). The second was blue, had an underside resembling flowing water, and wore a blue robe (ATK: 1800). The last dragon was brown, had a flowing white beard that looked like puffy white clouds, had blue stripes that appeared to light up from time to time, and wore a yellow robe (ATK: 1900).

"Now... I sacrifice Guardian Dragon Eldin, Guardian Dragon Faron and Guardian Dragon Lanayru to summon Hylia, the White Goddess (ATK: 4300)!" Shaylene said, as her three dragons began to glow and their energies combined and formed into a beautiful blond-haired, azure-eyed maiden in a glowing white gown. "And thanks to Hylia's ability, I can banish 5 cards from your graveyard... Not that I need to. Hylia, attack Alexandrite Dragon and bring an end to this!" The boy watched in defeat as his monster was destroyed (LP: 0).

"That was a good duel, Shaylene." The boy said.

"Thanks, Aaron." Shaylene responded. The boy then held out 4 Locator Cards and a monster card bearing a picture of a dragon with diamonds covering its back.

"Here. My 4 Locator Cards and my Hyozanru." The boy, Aaron, said.

"Thanks." Shaylene said.

"Good luck in the finals!" Aaron said, before running off.

"Awesome!" Shaylene cheered excitedly. "Now we're both in the finals!"

"Yeah." CJ said. "Come on, let's go drop this mirror of in the castle."

A short time later, CJ and Shaylene walked up to a large underground room in Hyrule Castle. The walls were solid stone and the entry door was made of steel and consisted of multiple entry ID systems, including an access code, key card access and something that resembled a handprint scanner.

"How is an access code, key card and a handprint scanner gonna keep someone out?" Shaylene wondered. "Couldn't they steal the key card and code and just use magic to transform into someone with the appropriate hand?"

"It doesn't scan a person's handprint." CJ said. "That device detects a person's magical signature. Watch." He snapped his fingers and was surrounded by a magic aura. When the aura died down, he looked identical to Bandit Keith. He placed his hand on the scanner.

"King CJ detected..." A computer voice declared. "Access granted." The disguise vanished and CJ returned to normal as the door opened.

"See?" CJ said. "Even though I looked like Bandit Keith and had his handprint, the computer still knew it was me. So, even if someone disguises themselves as you, me or Stacey, unless they find a way to copy our magical signature, they're not getting in." The two walked in to the room and CJ placed the Dark Mirror in a glass case. The two then walked out and the door closed behind them.

"Now what?" Shaylene asked.

"Simple." CJ said, pulling out his Locator Cards and placing them on his Duel Disk: 5 in the monster zones, 1 in the field card zone and 2 in the Spell and Trap zones. It then projected a map of Hyrule, and a golden arrow revealed the location of the finals. "KaibaCorp Stadium. Downtown Castle Town. The location of the finals. Let's swing by Hyrule Castle and pick up Stacey on the way."

 _ **A short time later...**_

CJ, Stacey and Shaylene walked into a large stadium in southern Castle Town as the sun was beginning to set over Castle Town. Waiting for them were Jennette, Alex, Dayan, Danielle, Yugi, Joey and Kaiba.

"Good... All the finalists are all here..." Kaiba said. "Welcome to Hyrule's Kaiba Corp Stadium."

"Hiding the finals in plain sight..." CJ said. "Who would've thought?"

"Quite brilliant, if I do say so myself." Kaiba smirked. "Now, let's get these finals underway. No field power bonuses. Each of you has been assigned a number. We'll shuffle up those numbers and randomly decided who faces who in the finals." Two KaibaCorp employees rolled out a machine from a nearby doorway that resembled the head of a Blue Eyes White Dragon. In its mouth was a glass orb filled with eight small balls marked with numbers 1 through 8. On either side were two claws, which doubled as openings for the balls to fall out of. Kaiba activated the machine and watched as two balls fell out.

"The first match of the finals will be Duelist #6 – Alex Logan vs Duelist #5 – Dayan Lindor!" A KaibaCorp employee said.

"No big surprise there..." Alex said.

"It seems like we always get paired up against each other." Dayan said, as the two activated their Duel Disks and shuffled their decks.

"We'll decided the start of the match by a coin toss." The KC Employee said. "Heads – Dayan begins. Tails – Alex begins." He tossed a coin. "Tails."

"First turn honors are mine." Alex said. "I lay three cards face down and summon Green Gadget (ATK: 1400)!" Then, a green machine composed of gears appeared on Alex's field. "And thanks to Green Gadget's effect, I can add Red Gadget to my hand. Your move."

"First, I use the Simple Soup spell card to give myself a 500 point boost (LP: 4500). Next, I lay two cards face down, activate the Umiiruka field spell, and summon Chilfos, Guard of the Ice Temple (ATK: 1900), who gains a 500 point boost from my field spell (ATK: 2400)." Dayan said, summoning a frozen, skeletal-like soldier wielding an ice spear. "Attack Green Gadget!"

"Activate Dust Tornado and Limiter Removal!" Alex said. "First, Limiter Removal doubles my Gadget's attack power (ATK: 2800)! Next, Dust Tornado destroys your Umiiruka and lowers your monster's points (ATK: 1900)."

"Lucky for me, my Guard isn't destroyed once per turn." Dayan said, as his Guard's spear shattered. "But I do still take damage (LP: 4500 – 900). And that's the end of my turn."

"And because of Limiter Removal, my Green Gadget is destroyed." Alex said, drawing a card. "And for my move, I lay a card face down and set a monster in defense mode. Go."

"I summon another Chilfos, Guard of the Ice Temple!" Dayan said.

"I activate my trap card: Swarm of the Scorpions!" Alex said. "Thanks to this, your monster is destroyed, since it's not an Earth monster."

"Chilfos, attack that defense!" Dayan commanded his second monster. Alex watched as a monster composed of red gears was destroyed. "Your move."

"I summon Ancient Robot (DEF: 1200)." Alex said, summoning a small robot wearing a metal helmet. It had large hands that were connected to it by a beam of electricity. "Next, I tribute Ancient Robot, activating its effect and allowing me to add a Timeshift Stone from my deck to my hand. Go."

"Since I control an Ice Temple monster, I can Special Summon White Wolfos, Beast of the Ice Temple (ATK: 1800) from my hand." Dayan said, summoning a snowy white wolf. "Next, I use Call of the Haunted to bring back my other Chilfos! White Wolfos, attack!"

"Activate Negate Attack!" Alex said.

"Your move." Dayan said.

"I summon Inactive Beamos (ATK: 0)!" Alex said, summoning a rusted robotic cube-shaped creature. "Next, I activate Timeshift Stone!" Then a small blue stone appeared on the field and illuminated the stadium in a blue light. Dayan watched as the rusted cube lost its rust and now stood atop a metal pillar. On each side of the robot's cube-shaped head was a red and green fan shaped object. In the center of the head was a glowing blue-green "eye" jewel. "Thanks to Timeshift Stone, my Inactive Beamos regains its ancient status, becoming simply Beamos (ATK: 2200)! And since it was summoned by Timeshift Stone, I can draw a card. Next, I activate the Sand Ship field spell!" The stadium then changed to a large wooden ship in the middle of a vast desert. "Now, all my Earth-attribute machines gain 500 attack points (ATK: 2700)! And when they attack, you can't activate Spell or Trap cards! Beamos, attack White Wolfos!"

"Thanks to White Wolfos's effect, when it's attacked, I can banish it until the End Phase, saving it from destruction!" Dayan said, as the ground beneath his wolf changed to snow. White Wolfos then dove into the snow and vanished.

"Your move." Alex said, as the Wolfos returned to the field.

"I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Sand Ship, returning your Beamos's points back to its original 2200!" Dayan said. "Next, I summon Ice Keese, Defender of the Ice Temple (ATK: 900)!" Then, a small blue bat surrounded by an icy aura appeared on the field. "Now, I'll tune my Level 2 Ice Keese with my Level 4 Chilfos to summon Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier (ATK: 2300)!" Then, Dayan's Ice Keese and Chilfos vanished into a pillar of light which vanished to reveal a serpent-like ice dragon. "Next, I'll discard a card to return a card on the field to my hand, and I choose my own Call of the Haunted! Brionac, attack! White Wolfos and Chilfos, attack directly!" Alex braced himself as a rush of icy air froze his field (LP: 4000 – 3800). "Your move."

"I activate Card of Sanctity, so we each draw until we have 6 cards." Alex said. "Next, I activate Swords of Revealing Light and Polymerization! I fuse Ancient Gear Golem and the two Ancient Gear Knights from my hand to summon Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem (ATK: 4400)!" Alex smirked as a mechanical, primitive robotic centaur appeared on his field. "Attack Brionac!" Dayan braced himself as his monster was destroyed (LP: 3600 – 2100). "Go."

"I switch both my monsters to defense mode (Chilfos: 1400) (Wolfos: 1300) and summon Blizzard Dragon (DEF: 1000)." Dayan said, summoning an icy blue dragon. "Now, I'll use Blizzard Dragon's effect to freeze your Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem, preventing it from attacking or switching its battle position until the end of your next turn. Finally, I lay two cards face down. Go."

"I summon Technoblin (ATK: 1700) and equip it with Tough Beetle!" Alex said, summoning a red, armored goblin-like creature wielding an electrified sword. In its hand appeared a strange golden metallic beetle-like object. "Now, any monster my Technoblin battles is automatically destroyed at the end of the Damage Step. Technoblin, attack Chilfos! Of course, neither of us will take any damage, but at the end of the Damage Step, Chilfos will be destroyed."

"Not quite, dude." Dayan said. "I activate Magic Cylinder."

"What?!" Alex gasped.

"Thanks to this, as you know, your attack is turned against your Life Points." Dayan said.

"Crap." Alex said (LP: 0), as Dayan's trap took effect, ending the duel.

"And the winner is... Dayan Lindor!" One of the KaibaCorp employees proclaimed. The stadium lights then turned on as darkness began to fall on Castle Town.

"We'll resume the finals tomorrow!" Kaiba said. "Prepare your decks for your opponents." He then motioned to a large screen, which showed a small 8-person tournament bracket. In the first match were Dayan's and Alex's pictures. The KC employees then activated the shuffler and chose the rest of the matchups.

"The next match of the finals will be Duelist #1 – Mr Kaiba vs Duelist #3 – King CJ Francis!" One of the KC employees shouted.

 _Kaiba wants the Triforce Destiny Cards? He'll get to see their full strength for himself._ CJ thought.

 _Perfect._ Kaiba smirked. _A chance to crush CJ and take the Triforce Destiny Cards for myself._

"Followed by Duelist #2 – Yugi Moto vs Duelist #8 – Joey Wheeler!" The other KC employee stated.

"Duelist #8?! Kaiba rigged this number system!" Joey exclaimed.

"Don't be ridiculous, Wheeler." Kaiba said. "If I rigged anything, you wouldn't even be _in_ the finals."

"Kaiba!" Joey shouted, raising his fists. "You wanna piece of me?! Let's go!" Tristan and Tea quickly grabbed Joey and pulled him back. "Come on, Tristan! Lemme at him!"

"The final match of the first round of the finals will be Duelist #4 – Shaylene Johnson vs Duelist #7 – Jennette Johnson!"

 _I have to face Jennette in the finals?_ Shaylene thought. _Uh oh..._

 _Great... The last person I wanted to face was Shay..._ Jennette thought. _I want to go easy on her because she's my sister, but... I know I shouldn't..._

CJ looked at the girls and smiled a little.

 _I'm glad those two can have a little bit of a sisterly fight with each other knowing that the world isn't at stake. I just hope that Jennette doesn't go easy on Shay. Same goes for Shay. If they both try their hardest, this will be a great way to test their skills._ CJ thought.

"Everyone return here tomorrow at 9:00 AM sharp!" Kaiba said. Everyone then left the stadium and returned home.

 _ **Later, at Moto Game Shop...**_

Yugi and his friends were gathered around the living room, watching TV.

"Yug, I hope you don't plan to go easy on me tomorrow in the finals." Joey said.

"Not a chance, Joey." Yugi said. "You're an accomplished duelist. You've come a long way since the day Gramps began teaching you about Duel Monsters."

"You really mean that, Yug?" Joey asked.

"Of course I do, Joey." Yugi said.

"Yeah Joey." Mai said. "You've always been a great duelist. Even as long ago as Duelist Kingdom. I'll never forget our first duel. That was an amazing move you used to beat my Harpie Ladies. And I still can't believe how you saw through my aroma strategy... unfair as it was."

"And you certainly gave Marik a run for his money in Battle City, Bro." Serenity said.

"Yeah... I did, didn't I? I mean, I almost won that duel. If I had just succeeded in that one attack." Joey smiled as an image flashed into his mind.

 _Joey stood face-to-face in a duel with a tan-skinned, sinister-looking young man with insanely spiked silver hair and cold purple eyes. He wore a purple muscle shirt, tan pants and a long purple cape. On Joey's field was a muscular warrior in a silver helmet, red tunic and red cape (ATK: 2800)._

" _I activate the Magic Card, Monster Reborn to bring back Ra!" Marik shouted. "Show yourself, my great beast of the sky!" Everyone gasped as the ancient golden dragon appeared on the field (ATK: 0). "This is the last monster you'll ever see, Little Joey!"_

" _But Marik's monster has zero attack points..." Yami said. "What kind of strategy is that? Ra takes on the attack points of the monsters that are sacrificed to summon it. But since Marik didn't make any sacrifices, his monster has no attack points."_

" _First, I'll activate Ra's ability of Instant Attack so it can attack now." Marik said. "But that's just the beginning of your troubles!" Suddenly Ra began to cloak itself in flames._

" _Someone wanna fill me in here?" Joey questioned._

 _"It looks like Ra is transforming!" Yami said._

" _Behold the true form of Ra!" Marik called out._

" _What? Tell me what's going on here!" Joey said. "Cuz where I'm from, giant flaming birds are not a good thing! So give it to me straight!"_

" _My Winged Dragon has taken on the form of Egyptian God Phoenix!" Marik said. "In this mode, Ra is unstoppable!"_

" _It's awesome!" Mokuba said._

" _Hm... Yes and soon it will belong to me." Kaiba smirked._

" _Now my beast is ready! Ready to feed you to the shadows!" Marik laughed maniacally. "Pharaoh! Kaiba! Take heed! For one of you will have to realize your darkest nightmare and face my Winged Dragon of Ra in the next round! Once Little Joey has been disposed of that is."_

" _Hold on! Last I checked, this duel was still on, Psycho Boy." Joey said confidently. "I still got my Gilford the Lightning up at bat, and he's got 2800 attack points with your name on 'em! Meanwhile, your over-sized flame-broiled chicken doesn't have any!"_

 _Marik laughed. "You still don't get it, Little Joey! Like I said, Ra has powers beyond your understanding. And unfortunately for you, I'm about to activate yet another of my creature's special abilities!"_

 _"Say what?" Joey gasped. "Not another one!"_

 _"Yes! In its Phoenix Mode, Ra can instantly disintegrate your monster, even though it has zero attack points! All I need to do is give up 1000 of my Life Points, then Ra will be free to banish you into the darkness!"_

" _So what if your feathered friend can use some secret ability to wipe out my Gilford?" Joey said, trying to mask his fear. "Your monster still doesn't have any attack points, which means that I'm not gonna lose any Life Points!"_

" _Don't you know? Losing Life Points should be the least of your worries now!" Marik said. "Look down. Thanks to that energy stream, when Ra attacks, you will be drained of all your strength. In a few short moments, every ounce of energy in your body will be gone for good. You'll be rendered completely useless at the hands of The Winged Dragon of Ra! The time has come! I'm moments away from claiming my victory! The Phoenix rises tonight!"_

 _Joey stood there, frozen with fear._

" _Winged Dragon of Ra, destroy his monster and drain his soul!" Marik shouted. "There is nothing that can prepare you for the devastation you are about to endure! There's no escaping the fury of the most supreme Egyptian God!" Joey cried out in pain as Ra's attack struck his Gilford._

" _Fight it Joey!" Yami exclaimed._

" _Can you feel every ounce of energy leaving your body?" Marik laughed._

" _We've got to help him!" Tea cried out._

 _"Whoa... This is nuts." Mokuba said. "Marik's gone over the line this time. We've gotta stop this duel now before things get any worse."_

 _Joey hunched over in pain as Gilford was destroyed._

" _Your Gilford is gone, and you're about to follow, Little Joey." Marik said. "So return to me, my great beast! Your task is now complete! When the smoke clears, you'll be nothing but a motionless shell. And without your inner strength, the Shadow Realm will easily consume your mind and your soul. At least your friend Mai won't be alone. You'll be wandering the shadows together!" Marik gasped as he realized that Joey was still standing. "It can't be! No one can withstand the devastating fury of an Egyptian God monster! No one!"_

" _No way!" Duke gasped._

 _"Joey!" Tristan called out._

" _He's standing!" Yami exclaimed._

" _But for how long?" Tea questioned._

 _"No! You can't! You should be wiped out by now!" Marik shouted._

" _In... your... dreams..." Joey said weakly. "Time to... put an end... to Marik's evil..."_

 _"No! If he succeeds in attacking my Life Points, I'll lose the duel... and my Egyptian God Card!" Marik mumbled._

" _All right... This... is it. It's... my turn now." Joey said, drawing a card as Ra vanished. "You're... wide open."_

 _"This can't be happening!" Marik gasped._

" _Oh yeah!" Duke exclaimed. "Joey beat Marik at his own game!"  
_

" _All he needs now is a monster with enough attack points!" Duke said._

" _Yeah! And then Joey will make it to the final round of the tournament, guys!" Tea said._

 _"This is awesome!" Mokuba called out. Kaiba stood there in shock._

" _How did he withstand Ra?" He questioned._

" _Make your move Joey! And end this madness now!" Yami called out._

" _Here goes nothing!" Joey said, as he placed a card on his Duel Disk._

" _What card did he draw?" Tristan questioned._

" _All right, Marik! I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight (ATK: 1800)!" Joey said._

" _No! This can't be possible!" Marik said, eyes wide with fear._

" _Hurry up and call your attack, Joey!" Yami shouted, as Serenity ran out from a doorway atop KaibaCorp Tower._

" _I..." Joey weakly stumbled over his words._

" _Joey, no!" Serenity cried out._

" _Oh no!" Tea exclaimed. Everyone gasped as Joey collapsed to the ground and Gearfried shattered._

" _Joey!" Yami called out._

" _Get up man! Get up!" Tristan shouted._

"You fought well, man." Tristan said. "And as far as I'm concerned, you won that duel."

"Yeah... I guess I did." Joey said. "If I hadn't been for Marik's Shadow Game tricks, I would have won." He smiled. "I'm looking forward to our duel, Yug."

"Me too, Joey." Yugi said.

 _ **In Hyrule Castle...**_

CJ, Shaylene, Stacey, Alex, Dayan and Danielle were gathered a large living room on one of Hyrule Castle's upper floors.

"Hey, thanks for letting us crash here, CJ." Dayan said.

"Of course." CJ said. "I wasn't about to send you guys back home just to come back here in the morning. By the way, congrats on advancing in the finals, dude."

"Thanks." Dayan said.

"So CJ... What happened with Seeker?" Stacey asked.

"Well, after you called me, I hunted down Seeker, and ended up finding him and Arkana at the Great Bridge of Hylia." CJ said. "I didn't realize that Arkana had defeated Layla and taken the Princess of Destiny."

"So... I assume you beat them both?" Stacey asked.

"It wasn't just me." CJ said. "Shaylene helped."

"Oh..." Stacey said. "Well, thanks, I guess..."

"You're welcome...?" Shaylene said.

"Um... Yeah, well, after defeating Seeker and Arkana, I... convinced them to tell me who they worked for." CJ said. "And it turned out to be Bandit Keith."

"What? Why?" Stacey questioned.

"I'm not really sure." CJ said. "But he was in possession of an ancient artifact called the Dark Mirror, which is known to bring out the darkness in a person's heart. He used to it transform the Hero of Time and the Princess of Destiny into darker versions of themselves."

"But CJ was able to kick his butt like the evil cards were nothing!" Shaylene said with a smile.

"Nice." Stacey said. "So... what did you do with the dark cards?"

"I locked them away with the Dark Mirror in the castle's vault." CJ said. "If you don't mind, I'm gonna hold on to the Hero of Time. If I have all three Triforce Destiny Cards, I have a better chance of making it to the final match."

"Yeah, that's fine." Stacey said.

"And Shay..."

"Yeah?" Shaylene asked.

"If you and I face each other, I'm not gonna go easy on you." CJ said.

"I wouldn't expect you to." Shaylene said.

"All right guys, let's get some rest." CJ said.


	11. Battle with Blue-Eyes

**CHAPTER TEN: Battle With Blue-Eyes! Power of the Extra Deck!**

The next day, everyone had gathered back in KaibaCorp Stadium, eager to continue the finals.

"Let's get this next match underway!" Kaiba shouted. He activated his Duel Disk and looked at CJ. "Ready to do this?"

"Without a doubt." CJ said, activating his Duel Disk in response.

"I've been looking forward to a shot at your Triforce Destiny Cards since my tournament began." Kaiba said. "I hope you're ready to part with them."

"Don't count on it, Kaiba." CJ said. "These cards are staying where they belong... With the holders of the Triforce."

"Let's duel!" The two duelists exclaimed, drawing their opening hands.

"As per the coin toss, Mr Kaiba will begin the duel." A KaibaCorp employee said.

"I lay three cards face down and summon Kaiser Sea Horse (ATK: 1700)!" Kaiba said, summoning a knight with blue and purple armor resembling a sea horse. "Your move."

"First, I activate the Shadow Temple field spell!" CJ said, as the stadium transformed into a cavernous room filled with lit torches. Behind CJ was a stone door bearing a lone eye symbol shedding a single tear. "Next, I summon Sheikah Whip Master, who gains 500 attack thanks to my field spell." Then, a blonde haired maiden in a crimson bodysuit wrapped in white bandages appeared on the field (ATK: 2200). "Next, I lay two cards face down and end my turn."

"I sacrifice Kaiser Sea Horse, letting it count as two tributes for a light monster... I summon Hyozanru (ATK: 2100)!" Kaiba said, summoning a white dragon with scales that sparkled like diamonds. "Next, I activate Stamping Destruction to destroy Shadow Temple and deal you 500 points of damage!" CJ watched as his field spell was destroyed (LP: 4000 – 500). "Hyozanru, attack that Whip Master!"

"Activate Sakuretsu Armor!" CJ said.

"Chain! Activate Champion's Vigilance!" Kaiba said. "Since I control a Level 7 or higher normal monster, I can negate the activation of your trap card and destroy it, which means my dragon's attack continues!"

"Damn..." CJ swore as his monster was destroyed (LP: 3500 – 400). "But thanks to my Whip Master's effect, since she was destroyed in battle, I can Special Summon another Sheikah from my hand, and I choose another Whip Master (DEF: 1500)."

"I end my turn." Kaiba said. "Go."

"I activate my We Are The Sheikah trap card!" CJ said. "This lets me Special Summon a Sheikah from my graveyard. However, its effects are negated, so come on out, Sheikah Whip Master (DEF: 1500)! Your move, Kaiba."

"I summon Vorse Raider (ATK: 1900)!" Kaiba said, summoning a strange tan-skinned beast-warrior in black and green armor, carrying an axe-like weapon. "Next, I activate Enemy Controller to switch your effect-less Whip Master to attack mode (ATK: 1700). Vorse Raider, attack that defense Whip Master! Hyozanru, attack the attack position Whip Master!"

CJ braced himself as his two monsters were destroyed (LP: 3100 – 400).

"Your move." Kaiba said.

"Whoa... Kaiba's got CJ on the ropes..." Joey said.

"Kaiba must have really revamped his deck for this duel." Yugi said. "He's pulling out all the stops."

"He must really want to beat CJ and take those Triforce Destiny Cards." Tea said.

"Do you... think CJ can win this?" Shaylene questioned, fear present in her voice.

"Of course he can." Stacey said. "It's too early to count him out yet."

CJ snapped a card off the top of his deck. "Well... This couldn't have worked out any better for me... You want my Triforce Destiny Cards? Well, you're going to have to defeat them first. I activate Evil's Summoning Ritual!"

"No way!" Yugi gasped.

"The first Triforce Destiny Card already?!" Stacey questioned.

"CJ's deck is really fighting back against Kaiba..." Jennette said. "See, Shay? He can win."

"Yeah..." Shaylene said. "Go CJ! Beat the pants off Kaiba!"

"I sacrifice Din, Goddess of Power from my hand to Ritual Summon Ganondorf, King of Evil (ATK: 4500)!" CJ said, as lightning struck the stadium. As it did, a crimson-haired, crimson-eyed man in black armor slowly appeared on the field. "Ganondorf, King of Evil, attack Vorse Raider with Triforce Sword of Darkness!" Ganondorf charged at Kaiba's monster and slashed through it with a golden glowing sword. CJ smirked as a dark aura surrounded Vorse Raider before it exploded.

"Enjoy the lead while it lasts!" Kaiba said (LP: 1400), because you won't have it for long!"

"Your move, Kaiba."

"I switch Hyozanru to defense mode (DEF: 2800) and end my turn." Kaiba said.

"Ganondorf, attack Hyozanru!" CJ commanded. Ganondorf rushed forward and cleaved through Hyozanru, destroying it. "Your move."

"I activate Monster Reborn to revive Hyozanru (DEF: 2800)." Kaiba said, as his dragon returned. "Go."

"Boo yeah!" Shaylene cheered. "CJ's got Kaiba on the ropes now!"

"Don't get too excited, Shaylene." Yugi said. "There's no telling what Kaiba has up his sleeve. I wouldn't count him out. He's definitely a skilled duelist."

"I summon Sheikah Soldier (ATK: 1900)!" CJ said, summoning a silver-haired, spear-wielding warrior in navy blue armor. "And since a Dark monster was summoned, Ganondorf gains a Spell Counter (SC: 1) and 1000 attack points (ATK: 5500). Now, I'll remove that Spell Counter (SC: 0 / ATK: 4500), which will allow Ganondorf to deal Piercing Damage! Ganondorf, attack Hyozanru and bring me victory!"

"I activate my trap card!" Kaiba said, revealing his face down. CJ gasped as a metal ring lined with explosives formed around Ganondorf's neck. "Ring of Destruction! Now, your King of Evil is destroyed and we both take 4500 points of damage! If I'm going to go down, you're going with me!"

"What?!" CJ gasped, as the ring around Ganondorf's neck exploded. When the smoke cleared, the monsters were gone, and CJ was standing there in shock (LP: 0). Kaiba, however, merely smirked (LP: 0).

"And the duel is a draw!" The Kaiba Corp employee called out. "And per tournament rules, the duelists shall now duel again! 2000 Life Points each, no direct attacks allowed. As usual, the duelist whose Life Points hit zero first is the loser. Shuffle your decks and begin! This time, CJ may begin!"

"I activate the Shadow Temple field spell!" CJ said. "So, my Sheikahs gain 500 attack and defense points. Next, I summon Sheikah Monk (ATK: 2300)." Then, a Sheikah in a crimson bodysuit and white cloak appeared on the field. "And thanks to my Monk's effect, I can discard a card to Special Summon a Sheikah from my deck, and I choose another Monk (ATK: 2300). However, its effects are negated. And thanks to my first Monk, it gains an extra 400 points (ATK: 2700)." CJ smirked as he laid both monster cards on top of each other. "Now, I'll overlay my two Level 4 monsters..."

"Overlay? No way... Is he?" Dayan wondered.

"Is CJ about to do it?" Alex questioned.

 _Is he doing what I think he's doing?_ Shaylene thought. _This is gonna be so cool!_

"I overlay my two Level 4 Sheikah Monks to build the Overlay Network!" CJ called out. "I Xyz Summon... Sheikah Guardian of Time's Gate (ATK: 3000)!" Everyone watched as a glowing gear-shaped gate appeared on the field. Linking to its upper left and upper right sides were two smaller gear-shaped gates which vanished into a mysterious portal. On the big gate were the symbols of the three goddesses of Hyrule, as well as the Triforce. CJ stepped forward as the gate began to glow. He was then cloaked in a bright blue light, and when the light died down, he wore a purple bodysuit, white waist bandages, a white cape and carried his Shadow Staff: a staff with a golden upside-down triangular piece atop it. Attached to each side of the triangle was a round purple jewel. On the chest of the bodysuit was the Sheikah Symbol: a lone eye shedding a single tear. "It's your move, Kaiba. Can you stand up to the power of my Xyz Monster?"

"Whoa! I can't believe CJ summoned an Xyz Monster!" Dayan said. _I mean, I know he runs Industrial Illusions and all, but they're still in the prototype phase. Wait a minute... What am I talking about? Xyz Monsters were in full swing before the Crystal Wii-Mote brought us here... Wait! Our old lives and memories must be getting overwritten by new memories of our lives here in Hyrule! That's why I know about Xyz Monsters only being in the development stage! Because in this reality, they haven't been released to the public!_

"What is that?" Kaiba questioned.

"I've never seen THAT card before." Yugi commented.

"That's because it's a new type of card called an Xyz Monster. It's summoned by overlaying, or stacking two or more monsters of the same level on top of each other. And unlike other monsters, Xyz Monsters don't have a level. They have a rank, which tells what level the Xyz Materials used to Xyz Summon it must be. Since my Sheikah Guardian of Time's Gate is a Rank 4 Xyz Monster, it called for me to overlay two Level 4 monsters." CJ said.

"I'll still find a way to beat it!" Kaiba said. "I lay two cards face down and summon a monster in defense mode. Go."

"I activate my Guardian's ability. By detaching an Xyz Material, and sending that Xyz Material to the graveyard..." CJ said, as he placed one of his Monks in the graveyard. "...I can Banish one monster on your side of the field until your second Standby Phase. So, say goodbye to that monster of yours. Your move." 

"I summon Lord of D (DEF: 1100) and activate Ultimate Offering!" Kaiba said. "I'll pay 1000 Life Points (LP: 2000 – 1000) to Normal Summon two more times this turn, and I'll summon Kaiser Sea Horse (DEF: 1650) and La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp (DEF: 1000)." Then, a mage in dragon-like armor and blue cape appeared on the field, followed by Kaiba's sea horse armored warrior and a green genie monster. _Now, no matter what he destroys, I'll still have enough sacrifices for Blue Eyes next turn._ "Your move."

"I detach another Xyz Material to banish Lord of D until your second Standby Phase." CJ said. "Next, I'll use Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your face down card." CJ smiled as a spell card bearing a picture a small golden fan-like ring was destroyed. "Ah, Ring of Defense... Planning to use Ring of Destruction again, Kaiba? Next, I summon Sheikah Soldier (ATK: 2400)." CJ's blue armored, silver-haired warrior then appeared on the field. "Attack La Jinn! And thanks to my Soldier's ability, since he destroyed a monster in battle, he can attack again! Destroy Kaiser Sea Horse! And with that, it's your move."

"Good!" Kaiba said. "So my first monster that you banished with your Guardian returns. And I'll flip it up... Cyber Jar (DEF: 900)!" Then a small mechanical jar appeared on the field and sucked up both of CJ's monsters. "When Cyber Jar is flipped, all monsters on the field are destroyed! Next, we reveal the top five cards of our decks, and Special Summon any low level monsters we draw... I got Kaiser Sea Horse (ATK: 1700) and Z-Metal Tank (ATK: 1500)." Kaiba's sea horse monster returned, along with a yellow tank resembling a bug-like creature.

"I got Sheikah Whip Master (ATK: 2200)." CJ said, summoning his Whip Master.

"Now, I sacrifice Kaiser Sea Horse to summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK: 3000)!" Kaiba said, as his famous white dragon took to the field. "Attack that Whip Master! Burst Stream of Destruction!"

"Activate Shadow Temple's effect!" CJ said. "Since my Sheikah was targeted for an attack, I can Banish her until the End Phase! And since you can't attack me directly..."

"I end my turn." Kaiba said.

"Which means Whip Master returns to me (ATK: 2200)." CJ said. "Next, I summon The Silent Sheikah (ATK: 1300)!" Then, a Sheikah in a green bodysuit and white wrappings appeared on the field. "And when my Silent Sheikah appears on the field, I can increase or decrease the level of a Sheikah by one, and I choose my Silent Sheikah (Lv: 4). Next, since I control two Dark monsters, I can Special Summon Bongo Bongo, Phantom Shadow Beast from my hand (ATK: 2100)!" CJ smirked as a phantom with one red eye and two detached floating hands appeared on his field.

"Too bad none of your monsters can take out my Blue-Eyes..." Kaiba said with a grin.

"Yes, but my Silent Sheikah is a tuner." CJ said. "Which will allow me to Synchro Summon a monster from my Extra Deck... So, I tune my Level 4 Silent Sheikah with my Level 5 Bongo Bongo to Synchro Summon CJ, The Last Sheikah (ATK: 3700)!" CJ said, stepping forward and gaining a golden breastplate over his red t-shirt. In his hands he now held his Shadow Staff. "And since Bongo Bongo went to the graveyard, I get to Special Summon a Sage of Shadow from my hand, deck or graveyard... So I summon CJ, Sheikah Sage of Shadow (ATK: 3700)!" Then, a clone of CJ appeared on the field. "Next, I activate Sheikah Unity! Since I control at least two Sheikah, all of my Sheikah gain an extra 300 points (Last Sheikah: 4000) (Whip Master: 2500) (Sage of Shadow: 4000)."

"Yeah! Way to go, CJ!" Shaylene cheered.

"See?" Jennette said. "Told ya he could do it, sis."

"Sorry Kaiba, but your cards were no match for the power of my Extra Deck... or my Sheikah... Now, Last Sheikah, attack Kaiba's beloved Blue-Eyes White Dragon with Shadow Staff Strike!" CJ said, as he gathered energy into his staff. He swung the staff full force, launching the energy at Blue-Eyes, and watched as Kaiba's favorite monster, and his Life Points, were eliminated (LP: 0).

"And the winner is... King CJ Francis!" The KC Employee proclaimed.

"You wanted to win my Triforce Destiny Cards, but in the end, your greed and lust for power couldn't win out against the Heart of the Cards." CJ said. "Kaiba... It's amazing that you still haven't learned anything even after all these years." CJ deactivated his Duel Disk and walked away.

"How? How could I lose my own tournament?" Kaiba wondered. "It's... not possible..."

"Kaiba... Maybe you should focus less on claiming the most powerful cards for yourself and focus more on trusting in your deck." Yugi said.

"Shut up, Yugi!" Kaiba snapped. "I've had enough of your hocus pocus mumbo jumbo about the 'heart of the cards'! I'll admit that you and Wheeler are talented duelists, but not because of some magic heart in your cards... That's a load of bull and you know it!" With that, Kaiba turned around and exited the stadium.

"Jeez... think he's a bit mad about losing?" Joey asked.

"Maybe..." Yugi said. "I can't believe he isn't even sticking around for the end of his tournament... You know, I thought he had started to change after Atem departed for the Spirit World, but... maybe I was wrong. Maybe people like Kaiba _can't_ change."

"Given his childhood, I'm not surprised he's the way he is." CJ said. "I mean, I don't condone the way he acts, and I'm not trying to brush it off as nothing, but I can kind of understand it... to a point."

"Yeah... I guess I see what you mean." Yugi said.

"But that still doesn't excuse him!" Tea yelled. "We've been trying to become friends with him for years, and still nothing! I can't get over how overinflated his ego is! He's so stuck up and full of himself!"

"Yeah..." Stacey said. "But you can't let jerks like that get to you."

"And you can't let them push you around." Shaylene said. "You've got to stand up to the bullies. I know that one first hand." She looked up at CJ and smiled.

"Yeah... Yeah you do." Yugi said, looking at Joey and then Tristan.

"Hey Yug, remember when Tristan and I threw that piece of the Millennium Puzzle into the pool?" Joey asked.

"Remember?" Yugi asked. "How can I forget when you bring it up so much?"

"Hey! I don't bring it up _that_ much!" Joey said.

"Joey, you bring it up just about every time someone mentions bullying!" Tristan said.

"Okay, so maybe I bring it up once in a while." Joey said. Everyone couldn't help but laugh.


	12. The Ties That Bind

**CHAPTER ELEVEN: The Ties That Bind! Blood and Water**

"So... Who's next, Kaiba Corp suit?" Joey asked.

"Next up will be Yugi Moto vs Joey Wheeler!" The KC Employee said.

"Sweet!" Joey said. "Me versus Yug! You ready for this, pal?"

"I'm always ready, Joey." Yugi said.

"Well Yug, I'll let you begin." Joey said.

"I summon Big Shield Garnda (DEF: 2600) and lay a card face down." Yugi said, as a muscular, spiky black haired man appeared the field, crouched behind a large shield. "Your move."

"I lay a card face down and summon Copycat (DEF: 0)!" Joey said, summoning a magician in a blue robe, who was covering their face with a mirror. In the mirror's reflection was Big Shield Garnda. "And my Copycat will copy your Big Shield Gardna (DEF: 2600)! And that's the end of my turn."

"I lay a card face down and activate Card Destruction! Now, we each discard our hands and draw the same number of cards." Yugi said. "Next, I activate Monster Reborn!"

"Typical Yugi move." CJ said. "Tosses something good into the graveyard and then brings it back with something like Monster Reborn. Question is: what is he bringing back?"

"I summon Dark Magician of Chaos (ATK: 2800)!" Yugi said, summoning a black-haired, blue-skinned mage in an indigo bodysuit. "And thanks to my Magician's ability, I get a Spell Card to my hand from my graveyard... And I'll take back my Monster Reborn again. Next, I equip Dark Magician of Chaos with Book of Secret Arts (ATK: 3100) and attack Copycat!"

"Activate Magic Arm Shield!" Joey said, as a pair of suction cups attached to extendable arms grabbed Yugi's Big Shield Gardna and pulled it over to Joey's field. "Now, your Big Shield Gardna will take your attack instead of my Copycat!" Yugi watched as his monster was destroyed.

"I end my turn." Yugi said.

"I lay one card face down." Joey said. "Go."

"Dark Magician of Chaos, attack Copycat!" Yugi commanded. Joey watched as his monster was destroyed. "Your move."

"I activate Graverobber!" Joey said. "And I'll use it to take, and activate, your Card Destruction! Next, I summon Swordsman of Landstar (DEF: 1200) and lay a card face down." Then, a small pink puffy warrior in brown leather armor appeared on the field. "Go."

"I set a monster in defense mode. Dark Magician of Chaos, attack Swordsman of Landstar!"

"Activate Kunai With Chain! First, your Dark Magician of Chaos is switched to defense mode (DEF: 2900). Next, my Swordsman gains 500 attack points (ATK: 1000)." Joey said.

"I end my turn." Yugi said.

"I activate Question!" Joey said. "And you remember this card from my duel with Odion, right Yug?"

"Of course." Yugi said. "I call out the name of the first monster found at the bottom of your graveyard. If I'm right, it's removed from play. If I'm wrong, you get to Special Summon it. And luckily for you, the first monster sent to your graveyard was likely from Card Destruction..."

"So Yug, what do you think it might be?" Joey asked.

"Based on the last time you played this move, I'm gonna guess Jinzo!" Yugi said.

"Nope!" Joey said, as a warrior in silver armor and a flowing red cape appeared on the field. "The monster was Gilford the Lightning (ATK: 2800)! Next, I activate Lightning Blade, increasing Gilford's strength by 800 (ATK: 3600)!"

"Impressive move, Joey." Yugi said.

"Thanks, Yug." Joey said. "Gilford, attack Dark Magician of Chaos!"

"Activate Spellbinding Circle!" Yugi said. "This will not only stop your monster from attacking, but as you know, it will decrease your monster's attack points by 700 (ATK: 2900)."

"I end my turn." Joey said.

"Come on Joey, step up your game." Yugi said. "I activate Diffusion Wave Motion. By paying 1000 Life Points (LP: 4000 – 1000), I can send Dark Magician of Chaos to attack all your monsters!" Joey watched as his monsters were destroyed (LP: 4000 – 200). "Your move."

"I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight (ATK: 1800) and activate Release Restraint!" Joey said, summoning a warrior in black iron armor. The armor then became to collapse off, revealing a muscular man with flowing black hair, garbed in a brown leather belt and a black loincloth. "I summon Gearfriend the Swordmaster (ATK: 2600)! Next, I activate Graceful Dice!" A small creature in a pink suit and top hat appeared on the field and tossed a blue die onto the field. Yugi and Joey watched as it landed on a 3. "Dang! A 3! Now my Gearfried only gets 300 extra attack points (ATK: 2900)."

"Joey... Maybe you shouldn't really on luck so much." Yugi said. "It doesn't seem to be working out for you here."

"Damn... I end my turn..." Joey said.

"I sacrifice my face down to summon Archfiend of Gilfer (ATK: 2200)!" Yugi said, summoning a red-and-blue winged fiend creature with a single horn atop its head. "Dark Magician of Chaos, attack Gearfried! Archfiend, go in directly!" Joey braced himself as his monster was destroyed and he was struck by Yugi's monsters (LP: 3800 – 2700). "Go."

"Yug, I can't believe I gotta do this but..." Joey frowned and reluctantly placed his hand over his deck. "... There's nothing I can do. I surrender."

"And the winner is... Yugi Moto!" The KC Employee called out.

 _That was quite an impressive duel..._ CJ thought. _I'm not sure I'd want to face Yugi in a duel..._ He began thumbing through his deck. He stopped when he came across the King of Evil. _I'm not even sure how much the King of Evil or the Triforce Destiny Cards could help..._ It was then that the King of Evil began to give off a dark aura. _What the-?_

 _CJ stood atop a large black tower, face-to-face with Ganondorf._

" _How fitting... That my final showdown with Hyrule would happen atop this very tower..." Ganondorf said. "Here it began... Here it all shall end."  
_

" _You're right... It will end here." CJ said._

 _"I'm sure you know the legends, boy..." Ganondorf said. "Of my many failed attempts to claim Hyrule as my own... My country lay within a vast desert. When the sun rose into the sky, a burning wind punished my lands, searing the world. And when the moon climbed into the dark of night, a frigid gale pierced our homes. No matter when it came, the wind carried the same thing... Death. But the winds that blew across the green fields of Hyrule brought something other than suffering and ruin... I... I coveted that wind, I suppose."_

" _That still doesn't excuse the things that you've done!" CJ exclaimed._

 _What in the world?_ CJ wondered. _Was that... a vision of the future? Why am I suddenly seeing visions of the future? And what's showing them to me?_

Suddenly, another image flashed in CJ's mind.

 _CJ stood in a mysterious void, surrounded by a golden light. He looked down at his hand and dropped to his knees. Glowing brightly on his hand was the mark of the Triforce, all three pieces illuminated._

" _Young CJ... What brings thee to our chamber?" A voice echoed. CJ looked up as three maidens descended from above. One had red hair and wore a flowing red gown. The second had green hair and wore a flowing green gown, and the final had blue hair and wore a flowing blue gown._

 _CJ remained on his knees, glanced at the Triforce on his hand, and looked back up at the maidens._

" _Oh great goddesses... I come here to atone for my sins..." CJ said. "To atone for what I've done wrong... To fix the mistakes I've made... And repair the lives I've destroyed." He then raised his hand and the Triforce appeared in front of him in a physical form. He closed his eyes, reached out, touched the Triforce, and shed a tear. A bright light soon filled the chamber..._

"Attention... it's time for the next duel!" A KC Employee said. "Duelist #4 – Shaylene Johnson vs Duelist #7 – Jennette Johnson!" Shaylene and Jennette stepped up to opposite ends of the arena and faced each other.

"Ready, sis?" Jennette asked.

"I... I think so." Shaylene said.

"I'm not gonna go easy on you." Jennette said.

"And you think I'm gonna go easy on you?" Shaylene questioned. "Don't count on it."

"Per the coin toss, Jennette may make the first move." The KC employee said.

"I summon Dark Gerudo Swordswoman (ATK: 1900)!" Jennette said, summoning a crimson-haired Gerudo woman in puffy red pants and a red vest-like top that revealed her midriff. "Next I lay two cards face down. Go."

"First, I activate the Silent Realm field spell!" Shaylene said, as the entire stadium was bathed in a blue light. Scattered around the stadium were metallic, almost robot-like statues, as well as small glowing orbs. "Next, I activate the Spirit Vessel spell card!" Then, a small flower like object with a long stem and 15 dark-colored berries appeared on Shaylene's field. Jennette watched as one of the berries became bright-colored and began to glow. "Now, as long as Silent Realm is face-up, once per turn, I can add a Sacred Tear Counter to this card (STC: 1). And once I have 5 of them, something nice will happen for me. Finally, I lay a card face down. Your move."

"I discard Gerudo Dancer from my hand to add my own field spell, Canyon of the Desert Protectors, to my hand!" Jennette said. "And then I'll activate it, destroying your Silent Realm and your Spirit Vessel!" Shaylene watched as her two spell cards were destroyed, and the stadium transformed into a stone fortress at the end of a canyon on the edge of a vast desert. "Swordswoman, attack!"

"Reveal trap card: Mirror Force!" Shaylene called out with a smile. "Now your Swordswoman is destroyed!"

"Dang..." Jennette cursed. "I end my turn." Shaylene drew a card.

"I summon Guardian Dragon Eldin (ATK: 2000)." Shaylene said, summoning an orange dragon with an underside resembling flowing lava and garbed in a red robe.

"Not so fast!" Jennette said. "I activate Trap Hole, destroying your Eldin!"

"Ugh... I end my turn." Shaylene said.

"I lay one card face down." Jennette said. "That's all I've got."

"I summon Silent Realm – Flying Guardian (ATK: 1600)!" Shaylene said, summoning a strange, silver, almost robotic creature in a gold and white robe and carrying two curved swords. "Flying Guardian, attack my sister directly!" Jennette braced herself as Shaylene's guardian rushed forward and slashed at her (LP: 4000 – 1600). "Your move, sis."

"I summon Gerudo Priestess (ATK: 1500), who will gain a boost from my field spell (ATK: 2200)." Jennette said, summoning a Gerudo woman in a red and pink robe. "Next, I activate my facedown Gerudo Sandstorm, which will let me destroy a monster you control for each Gerudo I control, so say goodbye to your Flying Guardian! Now my Priestess, attack Shaylene directly!"

 _Uh oh..._ Shaylene thought, as her monster was destroyed and she was struck (LP: 4000 – 2200).

"You're up, Shay." Jennette said.

"I lay one card face down and summon a monster in defense mode." Shaylene said. "And that's it for me."

"I activate another Gerudo Sandstorm to destroy your face down monster!" Jennette said.

"I activate Sacred Light Arrows!" Shaylene said. "Since you destroyed one of my monsters, I can destroy one of your non-Light monsters, so your Priestess is out of here."

"I end my turn." Jennette said.

"I summon Silent Realm – Flying Guardian (ATK" 1600)!" Shaylene said, as another one of her guardians appeared on the field. "Attack!" Jennette stumbled back as her sister's monster struck her (LP: 2400 – 1600). "Next, I lay a card face down. Your move."

"I summon Gerudo Swordswoman (ATK: 2400)!" Jennette said, summoning a Gerudo in a pink skirt and tube top, carrying a single curved sword. "Attack Flying Guardian!"

"Activate Trap: Sword from the Goddess!" Shaylene called out. "First, your attack is negated! Next, my Guardian gains an extra 600 attack points (ATK: 2200)."

"Damn... That's the end of my turn." Jennette said. "Go."

"I summon Silent Realm – Mace Guardian (ATK: 1800)!" Shaylene said, summoning a metallic, almost robotic creature in a black shawl and tunic, wielding a large gold and silver club-like weapon. "Next, I overlay my two Level 4 monsters to Xyz Summon my Hylian Guardian of the Sacred Realm (ATK: 2450)!" Shaylene stepped forward onto the field and her outfit changed into a gorgeous white gown. Around her neck was the Light Medallion, and in her hand was a golden staff bearing the symbol of the Sage of Light. "And, I'm 50 points stronger than your Swordswoman, so I'll attack!" Jennette braced herself as Shaylene rushed forward, striking her monster with her staff and destroying it (LP: 800 – 50). "Your move, sis. Make it count."

 _Damn... Nothing..._ Jennette thought. "I don't have a move I can make... You win, sis."

"And the winner is... Shaylene Johnson!" The KaibaCorp employee called out.

 _ **A short time later...**_

CJ (LP: 1800) stood face-to-face in the arena with Dayan (LP: 1200). On Dayan's field was an ice soldier wielding a spear. On CJ's field were both his Sage Xyz monster (ATK: 2500) and his normal Sage card (ATK: 3000).

"Sorry, Dayan... But I'm here to win... First my Sage of Shadow will attack your Chilfos, Guard of the Ice Temple!" CJ said. "And I'm well aware of it's ability that will protect it from being destroyed..." His Sage launched a blast at Dayan's ice warrior, who deflected it with his icicle spear, which immediately shattered. "But you'll still take the damage. And my Sheikah Guardian of Time's Gate will go into for the blow to destroy your Chilfos and the rest of your Life Points!"

Dayan stood there as his monster was destroyed (LP: 0) and then held out his hand. CJ smiled and shook hands with Dayan.

"Thank you." Dayan said with a smile. "It was a nice duel."

"Yes it was." CJ said.

"Typical Dayan..." Danielle said. "Even in defeat, he's still the politest guy you'll face on the battlefield... Even if his opponent is one of his best friends."

"And CJ moves on to the final match!" The KaibaCorp grunt proclaimed. "We shall conclude the tournament tomorrow with the final two matches!" Soon, the Sages were gathered outside the stadium.

"I'm outta here, guys." Alex said.

"Not even gonna stick around for the end of the tournament?" Dayan asked.

"Of course I am." Alex said. "But it's not much of a trip from here to Kakariko Village. I actually wanna go crash at home."

"You headed back now?" Dayan asked. "D and I were thinking of heading out to grab something to eat at the The Zesty Zora, and we were gonna see who wanted to tag along."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm tired." Alex said.

"All right, man. Catch you later." Dayan said, as Alex walked away. "So who's joining us?"

"Joey and I will come." Yugi said. "We'll even give Tristan and the girls a call and see if they want to meet us there."

"Speaking of which, why haven't they been around to cheer you guys on?" Dayan asked.

"Mai's been busy with work." Joey said.

"And Tea, Tristan and Serenity have been manning the card shop while I'm dueling in the tourney." Yugi said.

Dayan then looked at CJ and the girls.

"What about you four?" He asked. "Coming too?"

"I'm tired. I gotta get home and crash." Jennette said.

"Same here." Stacey said, yawning.

"And I need to help Shay prepare for her duel tomorrow against you, Yugi." CJ said.

"Well then... I guess we'll catch you guys in the morning." Dayan said, before CJ and the girls headed off toward Hyrule Castle.


	13. Showdown of Strength

**CHAPTER TWELVE: Showdown of Strength: Facing the King of Games**

The next day, everyone was gathered back in KaibaCorp Stadium, including Mai, Serenity, Tristan and Tea.

"The next match will be Shaylene Johnson versus Yugi Moto!"

Yugi and Shaylene stepped up to opposite sides of the arena and faced each other.

"I'm hope you're going to bring your 'A' game." Yugi said.

"I don't have anything less than an 'A' game." Shaylene said, as both duelists activated their Duel Disks. "First, I'll activate the Terraforming spell card, allowing me to add the Silent Realm field spell to my hand, which I'll activate!" The stadium was then bathed in a blue light. "Next, I lay two cards face down and end my turn."

"First, I'll activate the Gold Sarcophagus spell card!" Yugi said. "This lets me place a card in my sarcophagus and in two turns, I'll get to add it to my hand... And I'll choose Magician's Valkyria! Next, I summon the Magician's Valkyria (ATK: 1600) from my hand!" Then, an orange-haired mage in a blue robe appeared on the field. "Next, I lay a card face down. Valkyria, attack Shaylene directly!" Shaylene braced herself as Yugi's monster rushed in and struck her (LP: 4000 – 1600). "Your move."

"I summon Silent Realm – Earth Watcher (DEF: 800)." Shaylene said, summoning a robed phantom carrying a single round lantern. "Go."

"I summon a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"I sacrifice my Earth Watcher to summon Lanayru, Spirit of the Sea (ATK: 2300)!" Shaylene said, as her phantom vanished and was replaced by a long eel surrounded by a radiant glowing aura. "Attack Magician's Valkyria!"

"I activate Spellbinding Circle!" Yugi said. "Now your Lanayru won't be attacking."

"I end my turn."

"First, I get Magician's Valkyria to my hand..." Yugi said. "And I'll summon her (ATK: 1600). And my Valkyrias protect all other spellcasters from being attacked, which means they'll protect each other. Go."

"I sacrifice Lanyaru to summon Faron, Spirit of the Forest (ATK: 2300)." Shaylene said, summoning a long-tailed monkey surrounded by a glowing golden aura. "Attack that defense!"

"You attacked my Big Shield Gardna (DEF: 2600)!" Yugi said, as Shaylene's attack bounced off a giant shield held by a spiky haired warrior and hit her (LP: 4000 – 300).

"I end my turn." Shaylene said.

"I activate Brain Control (LP: 4000 – 800) to take control of Faron!" Yugi said. "Next, I'll sacrifice my two Valkyrias and your Faron..."

 _Yugi must be summoning a god card..._ CJ thought. _But which one?_

"Is he summoning... a god card?" Jennette gasped.

"No way!" Joey exclaimed.

"That quick?" Stacey questioned.

"Almighty protector of the sun and sky...

I beg of thee, please hear my cry...

Transform thyself from orb of light

And bring me victory in this fight...

I beseech thee, grace our humble game,

But first I shall... Call out thy name!" Yugi chanted.

"No way!" Shaylene gasped as a golden orb appeared on Yugi's field and began to transform into a large golden, mechanical looking dragon (ATK: 5500).

"Winged Dragon of Ra, attack Shaylene directly!" Yugi called out. Shaylene braced herself as the Winged Dragon of Ra launched his attack, striking her and ending the duel (LP: 0).

"And the winner is... Yugi Moto!" The KaibaCorp employee called out. "And now... the final match will begin... The King of Games, Yugi Moto... versus the King of Hyrule, CJ Francis! Duelists step into the arena! And remember: this match will be a match for the title of King of Games!" CJ walked up to the arena and nervously activated his Duel Disk.

"Here we stand, CJ..." Yugi said. "Face to face in the final match. Are you ready for this?"

"About as ready as I think I can be." CJ said.

"Good." Yugi said, shuffling his deck and slotting it back into his Duel Disk. "Then it's time..."

"Time to duel!" Both duelists exclaimed simultaneously. Each of them drew five cards.

"Since you're the challenger fighting to take my title away, I'll let you begin the duel, CJ." Yugi said.

"Are you really sure you want to do that, Yug?" CJ asked, drawing his sixth card. "I summon Sheikah Soldier (ATK: 1900) and lay a card face down." Then, a silver-haired soldier in blue armor appeared on the field, wielding a spear. "Your move."

"I discard a card to Special Summon The Tricky (ATK: 2000)!" Yugi said, summoning a jester-like monster in a black-and-yellow-striped bodysuit, blue cape, and a red question mark design on its chest and face. "Next, I lay a card face down. Tricky, attack that Soldier!"

"I activate my trap card! Battle of the Stealthy! This allows me to negate your attack, protecting my Soldier, and summon another Sheikah to join him in battle!" CJ said. "Come on out, Sheikah Priestess (ATK: 1900)!" Then, a silver-haired maiden appeared on the field in a dark blue bodysuit covered by a whitish-blue tunic bearing the red eye mark of the Sheikah.

"I end my turn." Yugi said.

"I lay a card face down and switch both my monsters to defense mode (DEF: 1700) (DEF: 1400)." CJ said. "Go."

"I summon a monster in defense mode." Yugi said. "Tricky, attack the Soldier!" CJ watched as his monster was destroyed.

"I activate my face down card: We Are The Sheikah!" CJ said. "Since I control at least one Sheikah, I can Special Summon another from my graveyard, and I'll choose my Soldier (DEF: 1700). However, its effects are negated."

"Your move." Yugi said.

"I summon Sheikah Whip Master (DEF: 1500)." CJ said, summoning a blond-haired young woman in a crimson bodysuit wielding a crimson whip seemingly made of pure energy. "Go."

"I activate Tricky Spell 4!" Yugi said. "By sacrificing my Tricky, I can Special Summon as many Tricky Tokens as you have monsters!" CJ watched as two identical versions of Yugi's Tricky appeared on the field (ATK: 2000 [x3]).

 _That can only mean one thing..._ CJ thought to himself.

"Almighty protector of the sun and sky...

I beg of thee, please hear my cry...

Transform thyself from orb of light

And bring me victory in this fight...

I beseech thee, grace our humble game,

But first I shall... Call out thy name!" Yugi chanted.

"How is he doing this?!" Shaylene gasped.

"Two duels in a row?!" Joey exclaimed.

"Just as I expected..." CJ said. _Now things will really heat up._ He looked at two of the cards in his hand and smiled.

"Winged Dragon of Ra!" Yugi called out, as his Egyptian god card appeared before everyone (ATK: 6000). "Ra, attack the Whip Master!" CJ watched as his Whip Master was destroyed.

"Thank you." CJ said. "When Whip Master is destroyed, I can Special Summon a Sheikah from my hand... And I choose the Silent Sheikah (DEF: 500)!" Then, a silver-haired Sheikah in a green and blue bodysuit appeared on the field.

"The Tuner..." Yugi mumbled. "I lay a card face down. Your move."

"You're right he's a Tuner, Yugi." CJ said. "But he's not here for a Synchro Summon. He's here... to be sacrificed. I activate the Evil's Summoning Ritual!"

"Here it comes..." Joey said.

"CJ's Destiny Card." Stacey added.

"I sacrifice all three of my monsters in order to summon Ganondorf, the King of Evil (ATK: 4500)!" CJ said, as the famous King of Evil appeared on his side of the field. "And since I sacrificed three Dark monsters for his summon, he gains 3 Spell Counters... and 3000 extra attack points (ATK: 7500)!"

"That's an impressive number of attack points that Ganondorf has, but remember: I'm the King of Games." Yugi said. "I won't let a god card fall that easily... Not even to Ganondorf. Activate Spellbinding Circle! Now Ganondorf is unable to attack!"

"I end my turn." CJ said.

"I reveal my face down monster: Marshmallon (DEF: 500)!" Yugi said, as a small marshmallow creature appeared on his field.

 _If he's revealing Marshmallon, that can only mean one thing..._ CJ thought.

"Next, I activate Marshmallon Glasses and my face down Call of the Haunted!" Yugi said. "First, thanks to my Marshmallon Glasses, you can only attack Marshmallon. Next, thanks to Call of the Haunted, I can revived The Tricky (ATK: 2000)!"

 _Knew it... I expected he'd do whatever he could to protect Ra..._ CJ thought. _So even if I do find a way around Spellbinding Circle, I can only attack Marshmallon... And it's indestructible in battle._

"It's your move, CJ." Yugi said.

"I activate Magical Mallet to add both cards in my hand to the deck, shuffle the deck and draw two cards." CJ said. "And with that, I'll end my turn."

"I summon Magician's Valkyria (ATK: 1600)!" Yugi said, summoning his orange-haired, green-robed mage. "Your move."

"I activate Call of Destiny Ritual!" CJ said, as he slotted a spell card into his Duel Disk.

"No way... A second one?" Stacey questioned.

"Ganondorf _and_ Zelda?" Shaylene gasped.

"I sacrifice Din, Goddess of Power from my hand to Ritual Summon Princess of Destiny (ATK: 3000)!" CJ said, as the legendary princess of Hyrule, Zelda, appeared on the field, garbed in her familiar lavender dress, gold shoulder guards and white silk gloves. "But since I'm only allowed to strike Marshmallon, I'm afraid I must end my turn."

"I summon a second Magician's Valkyria (ATK: 1600) and activate Card of Sanctity, allowing us to each draw until we have six cards in our hands!" Yugi said. "Next, I activate Swords of Revealing Light and end my turn!"

"He didn't attack the Princess..." Joey said. "But why?"

"Maybe Yugi's waiting for something." Tristan said.

"But what?" Tea questioned.

"Maybe... He's waiting for CJ to reach full power in the duel." Shaylene said.

"You don't mean what I think you mean, do you?" Jennette asked.

"Summon all three Destiny Cards?" Stacey asked. "But that could take forever."

"I activate Master Sword Ritual!" CJ exclaimed.

"No way!" Joey gasped.

"He couldn't have...!" Stacey said in shock.

"I guess CJ doesn't need forever." Shaylene said with a smirk.

"I sacrifice my Sheikah Sage of Shadow and my Sheikah Siren from my hand to Ritual Summon... Hero of Time (ATK: 3200)!" CJ called out, as a familiar blond-haired, blue-eyed hero in a green pointed hat and tunic, brown boots and white tights appeared on the field. "Two more of my turns and you'll be facing the force of all three of my Triforce Destiny Cards. Your move, Yugi."

"I sacrifice my two Magician's Valkyrias and my Tricky..." Yugi said.

"Here comes number two." Joey said.

"I summon Obelisk the Tormentor (ATK: 4000)!" Yugi shouted, as a large blue humanoid-like monster appeared on the field. It has several large horns on its head, spikes on its shoulders, and menacing fists. "I've summoned two gods... And it won't be long before I summon the third. Can you finish this before then, CJ? I activate Monster Reborn to bring back The Tricky (ATK: 2000). Your move."

"I'll find a way around your god cards, Yugi." CJ said. "Don't count me out just yet." 

"Believe me, CJ." Yugi said. "...I'm not."

"I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Marshmallon Glasses!" CJ said. "Now when those swords are gone, I'll be free to attack whoever I choose. But since those swords are still in play, I'll end my turn."

"I lay one card face down and summon a monster in defense mode." Yugi said. "Make this move count." CJ drew a card.

"I activate a second Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying your Swords of Revealing Light!" CJ called out. "Now, Princess of Destiny, attack The Tricky!"

"Activate trap: Zero Gravity!" Yugi said. "This switches the mode of all face up monsters on the field!" CJ watched as his Hero, Princess and Ganondorf were switched to defense (DEF: 2700) (DEF: 3200) (DEF: 3800) as well as Yugi's Ra, Obelisk and Tricky (DEF: 3600) (DEF: 4000) (DEF: 1200) and Yugi's Marshmallon switched to attack (ATK: 300).

"I end my turn." CJ said.

Yugi drew a card. "I'm sorry, CJ... You put up a valiant fight, but I'm afraid I must end this duel here and now. I sacrifice The Tricky, Marshmallon and my face down Big Shield Gardna..." Everyone watched as the skies darkened and lightning began to flash.

 _ **Meanwhile...**_

"Seto, look!" Mokuba and Kaiba were walking not too far from KaibaCorp Stadium. Kaiba turned and gasped as a large red dragon with two mouths began to descend from the skies over the stadium.

"Yugi's Egyptian god card!" Kaiba exclaimed. "Let's go, Mokuba! I must see this duel!" The two began to quickly run toward the stadium.

 _ **At KaibaCorp Stadium...**_

"I summon... Slifer the Sky Dragon (ATK: 3000)!" Yugi called out, as the dragon descended and floated over Yugi.

"Yugi summoned all three god cards!" Joey exclaimed.

"Wow..." Tristan said in awe.

"I... I can't believe..." Tea stumbled over her words, shocked by what she was witnessing.

"And CJ has all three Triforce Destiny Cards out..." Shaylene said.

"This is where things are going to get interesting." Stacey said.

"Impossible!" Kaiba gasped as he walked back into the stadium. "All three Destiny Cards versus all three Egyptian gods?!"

"Kaiba... How nice of you to join us again..." CJ said.

"Be warned... Whichever of you two wins... I WILL come after you for those cards." Kaiba said.

Yugi smiled. "I look forward to it, Kaiba..."

"Of course, even if you beat Yugi, you still won't get the Triforce Destiny Cards." CJ said.

"What?!" Kaiba questioned. Everyone else looked confused.

"Those cards can only be wielded by those who bear the chosen crest of the goddesses." CJ said, holding up his hand, aglow with the Triforce of Power. "Oh Yugi... Did I mention the effects that the Triforce Destiny Cards gain by being on the field with each other?"

"So... they work together, huh?" Yugi said with a smile.

"I'll take that as a 'no'." CJ said. "First of all, since the Hero of Time is on the field with the Princess of Destiny and being used by the bearer of Power, he gains the attack of all Light monsters in the graveyard as well as 1000 points for each Dark monster on the field (ATK: 7700)." 

"I can already see where this is gonna go..." Stacey said.

"Next... Since the Princess of Destiny is on the field with the Hero of Time, she gives me the ability to search my hand, deck or graveyard and activate any spell card I choose... On both of our turns." CJ said. "And finally, since I have the Triforce of Power, Ganondorf has the ability to absorb all the attack points of every Dark monster in the graveyard and add them to his own (ATK: 18600)."

"Too bad those points won't stack up against Obelisk's ability." Yugi said. "By sacrificing Slifer and Ra, I can bestow upon him infinite strength..."

"Not quite, Yugi..." CJ said. "Using the Princess of Destiny's effect, I can activate a spell card straight from my deck, remember?"

"Do you really think you have something to stop my Egyptian god cards?" Yugi asked.

"There's one thing that can stop your gods..." CJ said. "I activate Monster Reborn! And using the power of Monster Reborn, I summon Din, Goddess of Power (ATK: 5000)!" Everyone watched as a golden goddesses surrounded by a red aura descended from above. Her golden, statuesque form cracked and shattered, revealing a bare woman who's body seemed to be made of hardened magma and whose hair and arms were made of flames and lava.

"Can your goddess really stop the destructive power of Obelisk the Tormentor?" Yugi questioned.

"Yes." CJ said with a smile.

Shaylene's and Stacey's eyes widened.

"Din's ability!" They both gasped.

"Din is the great goddess who formed the land with her strong flaming arms..." CJ said. "And using those very same strong flaming arms, she can just as easily destroy it... When Din is summoned, her ability activates, destroying all of my opponent's monsters!"

"Impossible!" Kaiba gasped. Yugi watched in shock as his gods were obliterated.

"Although my gods will return on my next turn, your turn is about to begin and I have nothing to defend myself with..." Yugi said. He placed his hand over his deck. "CJ, I surrender..."

"And the winner... and new King of Games... King CJ Francis of Hyrule!" The KC employee exclaimed.

Yugi walked over to CJ and the two shook hands.

"That was an awesome duel." Yugi said. "And congrats on your new title." He then held out the Egyptian god cards. "And these."

"Thanks, Yugi." CJ said. "And I promise I'll take care of them."

 _ **Later that evening...**_

CJ, Stacey, Shaylene and Jennette sat together at a table in a large dining hall in Hyrule Castle, along with Stacey's mom and Janelle.

"That was some tournament." Shaylene said.

"Yeah it was." Jennette added.

"That whole Neo Ghouls deal was kinda scary." Stacey said.

"Yeah... I'm glad you girls are all okay." CJ said. "And I'm glad the Triforce Destiny Cards are safe. The last thing we needed was those cards falling into the wrong hands."

"No kidding." Shaylene said.

 _Of course... What I'd like to know is... What's the deal with these visions I'm having... Are they a vision of what's to come? And why in Din's name was I face-to-face with Ganondorf in one of them?_


End file.
